Weaknesses
by Prustrian Informant
Summary: There was a chance that this could be a dream. It was more fragmented and nerve-wrecking than any nightmare, yet more satisfying and warm than any dream. If dreams ever did come true, please let the Gods of Ikebukuro let this one be true.
1. Chapter 1

"You're all mine now. I won't let anyone have you. Not Shizu-chan. Not the yakusa. No one. You will be mine forever." The sweat-covered informant continued to coo in the humid room. The city lights flickered outside the big window as blood soaked into the mahogany floors. A computer chair remained overturned in a corner as the informant's eyes glistened with a half-crazed look about them.

The bodies of three men lay nearby. One reached out in death towards the informant, trying to steal that of which the informant was possessive over. Another lay over the side of the couch, dripping crimson fluid onto the leather. The last lay in the doorway, in his death knowing that the other two were dead and that he had only one chance of life.

"No one… you're all mine… all mine…"

It was said that at one time, Shizuo Heiwajima always was getting into fights with a young man by the name of Izaya Orihara. They would destroy half the city in their war. One fought for the right to roam as he pleased while the other protected the innocent, naïve people of the city.

Their play would go on for hours. Screaming people would take shelter, children would cry, everyone would go into hiding. There wasn't a soul who wanted to get in between the two as they did their lethal tango about the rooftops and the alleys, the roads and the bridges, the restaurants and the homes. It didn't matter the setting, there was just no stopping the duo in their war.

Shizuo had found a way to stop the fighting though.

He had raped the informant… or so he had thought.

Those pleas were not made in attempt at freedom.

Those fingers clawing into him were not trying to escape his hold.

Those eyes were not shining and overflowing in disgust and self-loathing.

Whenever he thought back to it now, it didn't seem like he had disliked it. It didn't look like he was suffering. It didn't look like he was in any kind of self-depressing mood.

He had felt guilty. Shizuo remembered going back a week later. He had ignored the city and stayed home for a week. It had rained. It had stormed. The water struck the side of the apartment windows as if to seek revenge for the petit informant. All week long, in that dark, dreary apartment room, Shizuo had sat on his couch. He'd smoked through cigarette packs, watched tv, stared at the walls, watched the rain; still the sight of the informant arching back as he pounded into him returned to him whenever his mocha eyes closed. It was etched into his subconscious, tormenting him as he shut his eyes.

The informant had moved though. His belongings were gone. No one knew where he had gone. Not a single piece of lint nor hair remained. Lines showed where bookshelves had rested against alabaster walls. Imprints showed where a bed had once been as well as furniture. Paled wood showed where a desk of one of the most cunning minds in the world had once been. That mind, now missing from the world.

Shinra didn't know where he was.

Celty had not gotten another assignment from the informant.

Kadota said that the louse was not anywhere that he'd seen.

Simon had actually asked as to whether he had killed him.

Everywhere that he looked, Shizuo found it to be lacking the presence of the informant. He searched Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, and anywhere else that he could have found the small raven-haired man. His mind raced at night. All sorts of thoughts sped through him. What if he was kidnapped? What if he was dead? What if he moved far away?

Izaya's arching, warm heat haunted him.

He could hardly sleep.

He could hardly think.

That damn flea.

Those red eyes pierced him as they stared back at him during the day. Every time his eyes closed, Shizuo saw him. Standing there, calling him, beckoning him, and Shizuo never could get him.

That rage that the louse had saved the city from was now loose and uncontrollable. Shizuo nearly killed the debtors that tried to prolong their payments. Tom forced him to remain outside after a while. Kasuka had been forced to remain away from his brother when Shizuo had almost hit him with a stop sign for the mentioning of the informant.

It hurt him to find himself alone. He forced himself to keep a distance from Celty and Shinra. He couldn't handle the underground doctor's dry humor or the dullahan trying to talk things out.

He had too much energy.

It bottled up inside him. He tried to just run it off or exercise. The running did nothing except increase it. No equipment could handle his monstrous strength. The machines and the weights broke apart. They slammed through walls and windows.

Shizuo shook in his fury and power.

Still, the informant remained missing.

Still, the informant haunted him.

Still, Shizuo returned to that apartment of the informant's every week until new tenants moved in.

A cigarette littered the door to the flea's apartment complex every Friday night, memorializing the night the two enemies' war had reached its climax.

~.~

_**A/N: I accept feedback people. There's this neat link below. Click it and then write words or just pound your head against the keyboard if you're Shizu-chan. Then click on the button and I get even more information. ^-^ I'm just tRoLlInG you all. But in all seriousness, leave a little something for me. **_


	2. Chapter 2

Five Years.

Five years of unrivalled fury. Five years of being shunned by society. The world around him didn't care for him, but he was long used to it. Tom told him to remain at home and be ready in case he ever needed the threat of him appearing to be done. That was his new job description: a threat of death.

Shinra and Celty didn't want him around. They grew fearful when he destroyed a wall due to them finding the informant's coat a while back. It had been covered in blood.

No one. Not even Kadota or the people at Russian sushi wanted him anywhere nearby. He was a monster. That was what he was known for.

Shizuo pulled himself up from the couch and headed out to get some groceries. The darkness of the evening was a good cover in case the cops wanted to try to arrest him again for "disturbing the peace".

He had only punched the daylights out of a snotty teenager.

The lampposts illuminated the wet streets and the deserted area as he walked on. Puddles lined the side of the streets. It was amazing how quiet this part of town got when it was two in the morning. It was a private area of the city, more dangerous than any other part, yet only minutes from the hustle and bustle of Ikebukuro.

"Vatti!" A small figure appeared ahead of him. Shizuo looked up and felt his rage double at the sight. Some people were horrible parents. The boy adjusted his scarf and looked around, his pale face searching quietly for his parents.

"Hey."

The boy looked over and they both paused.

"…"

"…"

"VATTI!" The little boy turned and yelled loudly, his voice cracking.

He looked like him. Why did that boy look like him when he had been little? Shizuo moved forward and tried to look friendlier as he approached the child. "Hey, are you lost? Would you like me to help you look for your parents?"

"I have only one parent right now and my vatti will find me." The boy smiled at him with crimson eyes. Shizuo stared at him in shock as the boy turned and walked onward. He stared after him as the kid moved several feet away, calling out into the night. A figure appeared a minute later, rushing forward and pulling the boy into his arms. Pale skinned, raven-haired, just as thin and quick as ever.

Izaya.

"Vatti!" The small boy hugged him tightly and grinned with the same grin that appeared on the informant's face.

The louse pulled back and his face fell, "what have I told you about running off to catch stray cats? It's-"

"-for protozoans to do and if I do it then monsters will come and get me. I know, but this kitty was all wet, vatti."

Izaya sighed before hugging him again. "You can't do such things here in Japan. It's not as safe here as it was in Bavaria."

"Sorry…"

"I know. Come on. Time to go home."

The small boy held onto him close and Shizuo jolted out of his reverie. He moved forward with conviction. The informant jumped a bit as he heard the footsteps and turned, paling as he saw him. The louse held the young boy close as the blonde approached.

"Louse…"

The informant stared at him in impassiveness. The boy looked at them both and hugged the informant close, "vatti, he looks like me…"

"I know, Tsuki."

Shizuo towered over the informant, "Izaya…"

"Shizu-chan."

"…where have you been?"

"I don't see how it's any of your business."

The boy twitched as he listened. His eyes flickered with curiosity as he heard the debt collector's name. He watched the blonde as he stood over them.

"Who is this?"

"None of your business."

"Why did you disappear?"

"Up yours."

"ANSWER ME!" Shizuo shook in rage as he received no explanation. The informant took a step back, one after another, smirking as he went.

"I really don't need to answer you. I have things to do. I have people to meet. Go die…" With that, the informant spun around and fled down an alleyway nearby, being closely followed by the blonde. Shizuo rushed after him, his eyes watching the spectator in the flea's arms. Those small crimson eyes watched him as his 'vatti' rushed them away.

One street after another, Shizuo's cry could be heard as loud as ever, "IZAYAAAAAAAA!"

The flea didn't laugh. He didn't dance around in glee to the raging blonde; he only ran. His feet taking him through alley after alley, flipping over trashcans with the young child in his arms. No one saw the boy well. They only viewed a bundle in his arms. Shizuo shook in rage as he found the boy curling up in his arms and disappearing from view.

"IZAYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Seconds turned into hours, the turns became more sharp. Their breathing became more rushed as their hearts sped into overtime. Corners became brushed as they ran past. People dodged the chase by ducking into doorways and under overhangs. Cars stopped as they ran past.

Shizuo couldn't help himself.

That face.

Those eyes.

Who was the child in his arms?

Where had the informant been?

Why had he left in the first place?

Shizuo felt his knees hit something before he met the pavement. He fell over and winced as he heard the two disappear. Loathing coursed through him. He shouldn't have missed him. The informant should have been caught. He should have answered the questions.

Why had he not?

He sat down and smoked in that alley for a while, his chest aching as if someone had sliced it with a knife.

~.~

_**A/N: TSUKI! 3 **_

_**Professional definition of Tsuki (for those new to the fandom): Tsuki is an alternate persona of Shizuo Heiwajima. He is known for having no sense of direction, wearing a scarf and having a messenger bag, being oblivious, and often is paired up with the alternate persona of Izaya's named Roppi. His full name is Tsukishima. **_


	3. Chapter 3

The bottles on the table took a whole new meeting the following night. With every hour, a new one took existence upon the tabletop. With every ten minutes, the sound of rustling gave sign to an unsettled former bartender. The blonde stared at the window as the rain beat down upon the glass. The calm melody pulsed out from the speakers nearby.

He lay awake during the night and stared at his ceiling as well, watching as shadows from the window danced across the white plaster. Rain pounded against the building in rhythm long after a button being pressed silenced the music.

A knock shook him awake. He stood up and grunted before heading to the door. It was so late at night. Why would anyone be awake, let alone over knocking on his door, at this time of night? He peeked through the eyehole and saw no one.

Damn teenagers.

Another knock.

He threw the door open and prepared to lunge out at the person when he saw his guest.

Brown haired, red eyed… The boy adjusted his glasses and rolled back and forth on his heels. He whistled as he stood upon the doorstep.

Him.

Tsuki.

Here at his apartment.

Shizuo stared at the kid in surprise as the child looked up at him and shuffled his small messenger bag around his shoulder. "I know it's late, but vatti is with his boss and it was scary all alone at home."

"How do you know where I live?"

"It was on vatti's computer."

"…why did you come here? Surely you have a babysitter."

"She's scary." The boy looked fearful at the mention of his sitter and Shizuo sighed, taking a step back.

"fine. Come in then. I don't need small children being killed on my watch."

"Thank you." The small boy walked past him and looked around curiously. His young face took in everything from the small windows to the dirty couch. The beer bottles on the table were looked at curiously before being opted out in lieu for the tv nearby.

Shizuo shut the door and locked it before sitting down and watching him. The kid was cute enough. He sat down after a few minutes and pulled out some pencils and paper, his hands went to work drawing the room, erasing mistakes and shading in shadows.

"Where are your parents?"

"Vatti is at work."

"No," Shizuo sat down next to him and frowned, "your mom and dad. Aren't they worried about you?"

"My mom is my vatti. He said that he had me by accident, but I was more perfect than any of his precious humans that he couldn't leave me."

"…What about your dad?" Shizuo felt something was wrong with this whole mess immediately.

"Vatti said my dad was a really strong man that always was chasing him around. He was actually really nice, but never to vatti so when I was born, vatti didn't want my dad to be pity nice for me and he took me to some friends of his in Europe. It was cold there sometimes and there was lots of this white stuff called snow." The child beamed up at him as he spoke.

"Your dad… was…"

"My dad was the strongest man in Ikebukuro according to vatti."

Shizuo stared at him as the small boy went back to drawing, humming happily as he shaded in the final detail in his drawing of the living room.

"Can I draw the kitchen?"

"…Let's get some sleep."

"Okay."

A small hand pulled on him as the debt collector followed the young boy back from the living room to his own bedroom, unable to feel anything except the shock.

The boy was his…

~.~

Another clap of lightning occurred as the small boy cuddled ever closer to him. "Calm down! Are you afraid of thunder or something?"

"…" He jumped and curled up closer yet as another bolt shot across the sky.

"It's just lightning. It won't get you."

"…"

Shizuo held the boy close and hugged him tightly, "I won't let it get you, Tsuki."

"You promise?"

"I swear."

"…" The boy sniffled a bit and hugged him back, "thank you, Shizu-chan."

"…"

Something was burning, turning circles inside of him. He held the kid close and his lips spread, expanding. A smile formed on the blonde's face as he continued to protect the brunette from the storm outside. Those small hands clung to him in need, fearing anything that would pull him away from this world.

"Shh…" The blonde told the little one as he cried a bit in fear of the thunder that had struck not too far away from the building. "It's okay…It's okay…"

~.~

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?" Izaya glared at Namie as she leaned back in her seat and filed her nails.

"He ran off last night after I put him to bed."

"Tsuki wouldn't have run off. He gets lost easily. You lost me my little specimen, Namie-chan!"

"He'll come home soon enough."

"HE GETS LOST EASILY!"

"Well someone will bring him home. You should have put a collar on him."

Izaya flipped open his switchblade and grinned, "oh yes, I probably should have, but that little monster is running rampant in my humans' city after a night full of lightning."

"So?"

"He's probably scared in some alley, crying for me. Oh well…" Izaya faked a grin as his secretary looked at him.

"…" Namie rolled her eyes and took the paperwork from the informant's desk, "You are truly heartless, Orihara. I'll have these done for later. Make sure to get some work done for once."

"Bye bye, Namie-chan!" Izaya waved gleefully until the woman left. Hurrying along, he grabbed his coat and a blanket before rushing out the door and beginning his search. The little kid couldn't have run that far. He had to find him before Shizuo or someone else did.

~,~

_**A/N: Mmm… Dido's albums and this story are awesome together. **_

_**As many have probably expected and some are probably unimpressed by, this is mpreg. I am pretty touchy about mpreg. Sometimes people are just too, "oh goodness, I must love the other because there's a developing human in my belly!" **_

_**My view on it. "Hey look, baby. LET THE FIGHTING CONTINUE!" **_

_**-Erika approval- ^o^b **_

_**As always, I will be obsessive and adore all reviewers because reviews encourage me in thinking that maybe writing fanfictions is alright…**_


	4. Chapter 4

"Can I have more?" Tsuki's eyes sparkled in joy as Shizuo gave him more.

"Of course you can."

"Aren't you hungry though? You have so little food in your fridge."

Shizuo ruffled the kid's hair and grinned, "it's no problem. I just haven't gone shopping this week."

"Oh…"

Shizuo almost felt bad for lying as the kid began to eat again, but he didn't need the kid starving himself for him. He pulled some of the pancakes over and began to eat as he thought more about the kid's past. "So…"

"Hmm?"

"Your mom is the fl- Izaya?"

"Mhmm."

"And your dad is named…"

"I don't know. Vatti always got sad when I asked. I don't like when he's sad. It makes me sad."

Shizuo sighed and tried again. "Do you know what he looks like?"

"He must look like you because you look like me!" Tsuki smiled before eating again.

That was-

Pounding, frantic occurred and interrupted his train of thought as Shizuo sat at the table. He stood up and moved to the front door to find the informant standing there. He stopped knocking and grinned, "Oops, wrong door."

"Flea."

"Hello, Shizzy-chan! How's the raping of-" Shizuo covered his mouth and looked back to make sure Tsuki hadn't heard.

"Are you out of your mind, I've got a child here!"

"Mowwestin mmildmren…?" The informant's eyes glinted as he tried to speak through his hand.

"I've got your kid here, great job with the babysitter there, flea."

…

Shizuo didn't even see it coming when he was kicked out of the way and the informant went flying past him into the apartment. He flew across the living room and Shizuo heard the boy greet his mom.

"I was worried about you. You ran away from home and didn't tell me where you were going."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I was having fun!"

"…What did you two do?"

"I drew pictures and then we went to bed and then we had pancakes! I like pancakes."

"That sounds fun."

"Mhmm. It was. He asked about dad though."

"…he did?"

"Yeah, I said I didn't like when you were sad."

"…"

"Vatti, you aren't sad, are you?"

"No…"

"Yes, you are. You aren't supposed to lie, remember? Lying is bad."

"Yes, it is. Come here you. You aren't supposed to run away either."

Shizuo walked into the kitchen to find Tsuki hugging the informant close. The flea glared at him and held the boy close. Stroking him gently, clutching him to his chest as if he were the most precious thing to ever come into existence, Izaya slowly shut his eyes and nuzzled the child in his arms.

"Tsuki, can you go get your things?"

"Yeah. I can show you my drawings!" He scampered away to get his things before Shizuo could even speak. Izaya slowly stood up and stared at him.

"You should have guessed by now…"

"He's mine."

"NO… yes." Izaya took a deep breath and shut his eyes a minute. "Why did you bring him here?"

"I didn't. He came here, found the address on your computer."

Izaya blinked at him in surprise before sighing.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What? That I was pregnant? Would you have believed me?"

"I would have-"

"No. You wouldn't. I didn't until I was gone." The informant took a step forward and glared in anger. "I didn't need this. I don't need your help. I can take care of Tsuki myself."

"Then why did he come here? Why did he run to me?"

"I don't care."

"You don't know."

"I DON'T CARE!"

Shizuo stepped forward and grabbed his shirt, yanking him forward and glaring into his face, "you don't know why he came here. I think he knew I was his father."

"I think you're insane."

"Why did he come here then?"

"Alright, see vatti! Look what I drew!" Tsuki returned and ran over, oblivious to the two as he tugged on Izaya's pants and held up his drawings.

"What a great sofa!"

"Thank you. Did you see I got the sofa stain?"

"Oh yes! You even got the slight indentation of Shizu-chan's butt on the sofa cushions."

Shizuo rolled his eyes and bent down to meet the kid's face, eye to eye. He ruffled his hair and smiled as he spoke. "Tsuki. I'm your father."

Tsuki stared at him in shock.

"…Tsuki?"

The boy spun around and ran straight into Izaya's arms before Shizuo could do anything further. Izaya hugged him close. "Vatti…"

The informant lifted the small brunet into his arms and inched away from him. Those crimson eyes watched him warily as he backed out of the kitchen and quickly hurried through the front door. The doorway stood open as Shizuo watched them leave.

A couple nervous neighbors peeked in before running along to their apartments. Shizuo didn't give a shit.

_Tsuki…_

He had a kid, not with the greatest mother in the world; The flea had multiple flaws. He was a pest, giving people the extra push towards suicide and throwing innocent people into trouble with the law.

_He's smart though…_

The louse did have a knack for keeping himself healthy and solving any problem that stood in his way. He didn't have any medical problems (besides a possible sadistic tendency).

Ugh, this was too much thinking.

Slamming the door shut, Shizuo headed down the decrepit hallway to his room. A couple hours' nap sounded good right about now. He tossed his shirt into a nearby chair and scratched his mop of hair when he noticed a piece of paper on the nightstand. Curiosity piqued, he perused the paper's contents; smiling as he went.

_Deer Shizuo,_

_ Thank u for letting me stay the nite. It was fun. Lets do it again. I drew a piture of us wen u were sleeping._

_ Sinserly, _

_ Tsukishima_

He couldn't spell that well. Shizuo looked at the drawing sitting nearby and chuckled a bit. _Tsukishima, huh? _He would just have to let the kid have some time to adjust to the idea of having two parents before he did too much.


	5. Chapter 5

"You…what?"

"You heard me flea."

"I think you have the wrong idea, Shizu-chan. Tsuki is _mine_, not yours."

"You even admitted I was his father!"

Izaya leaned back in his seat and smiled his signature grin, "yes, but that doesn't mean much. So he's got some protozoan DNA running through him, he's still mine."

"Izay-"

"Sorry Shizu-chan~! I have another call waiting~"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE HANG UP-"

The dial tone met his ear and the blonde threw the phone down roughly onto the hook. THAT DAMN FLEA! Why did everything have to be impossible with that bastard?

Calming himself, the man left his apartment and went walking down the street. The morning air was full of humidity, the tall buildings containing it to torture the city goers with. People fanned themselves, dogs panted; sunlight flickered in and out of sight.

"Daddy!" A little boy ran past and squealed in delight as his father looked down at him in disapproval.

"You know you should be going to school soon!"

"Have fun at work dad! Mommy and I are going to- Ah… Nevermind!"

The man chuckled, ruffling his son's hair, "Are you and mommy up to no good again?"

"Noo~"

Tossing his dead cigarette in the trash, Shizuo adjusted his shades and moved away from the duo. It was one of those things that happen unnoticed until something makes you notice. Each child he walked by, some looking at the scenery, some fighting with their siblings, some riding on their parents' backs, some playing in a playground, they all reminded him of his own son. The boy was probably drawing or being babysat.

…

That was it!

As much as he hated it, he could reason with the louse. He flipped open his phone and his finger flickered about the keyboard, typing in the memorized number with haste.

"Moshi moshi, Shizu-chan."

"Izaya, I have an idea."

"Tsuki-chan is mine~." The sing-songy voice lost some of its good humor as he spoke.

"Yeah yeah, but who's babysitting him?"

"I have a very capable secretary."

"Was she the one who babysat him the other night?"

"I cannot comment on that at this time. Needless to say, I have Tsuki's needs met."

"You can't take care of him alone."

"But you see Shizu-chan. I can. I have been for almost five years now."

"You sh- Nevermind." A white scarf and bag caught his attention and he swiftly headed in that direction as he held his phone.

"No, no, Shizu-chan. What is it? Are you going to tell me off for not wanting my son around someone who is incapable of controlling his own anger?"

"I've got to go." He hung up without even listening and moved faster, "TSUKI!"

The small boy turned around and smiled in delight, "oh good! I found someone. I think I'm lost."

"Where did you think you were going?"

"I was just going to get some candy, but the store moved again. I thought it was on this street…"

"What happened to your babysitter?"

He shuddered, "I said she was scary."

"Alright, come on." He held out his hand and the boy stared at it.

"…"

"Something wrong."

"You hate vatti…"

"Hmm?"

Tsuki took a step back and awkwardly adjusted his bag. "It's just that vatti is so nice and I don't understand why you wouldn't like him. I mean, don't two people have to love each other before they can have a baby?"

Love?

Him and the louse?

"Ah, Tsuki-"

"Nevermind. I was just thinking out loud." He shook his head and took the offered hand, "Can you help me get to the candy store? I want some Malt balls and chocolate covered almonds and…" He continued to gush on about what he was going to get and Shizuo led him distractedly.

It wasn't like he had been planned. Hell, he hadn't known the boy existed for so long. He and Izaya had been fighting for ages before that. There wasn't any love between them, it had just been a momentary fluke. The blood had gone to both their heads.

"…Shizuo-san?" The boy looked at him with a frown darkening those crimson eyes.

Izaya's…

"Huh?"

"I asked if you wanted anything. Vatti gave me a lot of money this morning for me and Namie-san, but I didn't want to spend any money with her, she's mean and never lets me get anything."

"How much money do you have?"

"Ten thousand yen."

Shizuo stared at him in complete shock for a minute. Of course the louse would give him a large amount of loot. That would also explain why that secretary would just pocket it.

"Shizuo-san?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Um… I was actually thinking, if you have that much, maybe we should get the candy and then maybe to a toy store."

"A what?"

Shizuo smiled a bit as he stopped a minute, noticing the boy's shoe untied. "A toy store."

"Oh… I don't really like toys. They're for little kids. I like playing with my pencils and pens. Vatti says that I am a prodigy." He beamed at the compliment.

"I see… You want a ride?"

"A ride? But you don't have a car…"

Shizuo chuckled, "who needs a car. You'll have a much better view this way." He lifted the boy up and set him on his shoulders.

"Whoa~! I'm taller than everyone!"

"Yep." Shizuo fixed his out of place shades and continued walking down the road towards their destination.

"Shizuo-san. People are pointing at us…"

"They probably wish they had someone to give them a ride."

"…Maybe I should get down…"

"No, you're fine."

"Shizuo-san! Who is this?" Simon looked at them both in shock. Tsuki ducked and hid behind Shizuo's head as best he could.

"Hey Simon. This is my kid."

"Hmm? Oh! Kid is good! Sushi good. You both come and buy some?"

"Maybe later."

"Later good."

Tsuki cowered close for a while before they were at their stop. Shizuo set him down and watched the kid look around happily. "Wow! This is so big! Can I get whatever I want?"

"You're the one with the money. Just make sure not to buy so much that you get sick."

"Cool!" Before he realized it, Tsuki ran over and hugged him close. "Thank you."

Heat ran to his face as he hugged the kid back. Soon enough, the little guy skipped over to the counter and started to ask the women behind the counter questions, pointing at things, and trying samples. His red eyes shone with excitement as he told them what he wanted. The women cooed at him as they more than happily complied.

"Do you want me to get you milk chocolate or dark."

"Milk! It's sweeter!"

"Aw~ That's so cute! I don't think the sweet chocolate could make you any sweeter!"

He blushed a bit as they continued and Shizuo stood back a few feet, supervising.

"Alright, would you like anything else?"

"Umm…" Tsuki bit his lip and surveyed the area behind the counter, "can I get two shakes too?"

"Yes you can!"

"Then I would like two strawberry shakes!"

"Not a problem!" The girls flew into action and Shizuo frowned, "hungry?"

"One's for you!"

"You didn't need to do that."

The boy smiled, "but you have to be thirsty too. I just thought that it would be nice to have something to drink."

Shizuo ruffled his hair and laughed, warmed by the touching gesture. "Thanks."

"Mhmm…" Tsuki blushed a bit and gave the cashier his money.

"Alright, and 5000 yen is your change." The women beamed down at him, "you enjoy all your candy."

"We will. I'm giving some to my vatti."

"Aw~" The women went into cooing fits again as Tsuki tried to lift his bag.

"Here. I'll carry it for you." Shizuo grabbed it and grinned, "you can carry our drinks."

"Okay! Let's go home!" They left the building and Tsuki sighed, "Namie-san is going to be really mad at me again."

"If she does, then I'll put her in her place."

Tsuki shook his head, "Don't do that! She just doesn't like when vatti gets mad at her or when I run off, but she's usually so scary…"

"What if I babysat you?"

Tsuki looked up at him, "don't you have to go to work though?"

"Only every now and then."

"Oh…"

"I could manage to watch over you while the fl- Izaya is working though."

"That would be kind of fun."

Shizuo led him to his house and held the door open for the youngster. "We could play and you can meet your uncle."

"I have an uncle?"

"Yep. He's on television too."

"HE GOT STUCK IN THE TELEVISION?" Tsuki ran over to the television and looked at it in horror. "Can we get him out?"

"Calm down. They play his movies and have him star in shows and ads on tv. He isn't stuck anywhere."

"Oh… Cool. That would be fun."

"He enjoys it." _I think…_ Shizuo hadn't spoken to him in ages.

"I'm sleepy…" The boy yawned and curled up in his lap quietly. "Can we watch a movie of his?"

"Sure." Shizuo got up and threw a random flick in, returning and pulling the boy onto his lap. Tsuki snuggled up close and yawned a bit. Not too long later, the boy fell sound asleep in his arms, his glasses soon moved to the coffee table for safekeeping.

~.~

"That's the benefit of internet, Shiki-san. Whether you see me or you don't, I'm always here."

The man itched at his arm and looked at the young informant. "You seem distracted."

"Not at all, but if you would like to stay focused, that would be wonderful. You're dear friends at the police station have found another one of your less than clean shipments."

"I see…"

"They haven't gotten their hands on it, but…"

"It will need to be moved."

"Why yes, it should probably be rid from existence."

"Continue, Orihara-san."

The informant smirked knowingly and went on, pulling out some maps for detailing.

~.~

_**A/N: As always, reviews are my motivation. You guys are awesome. B)**_


	6. Chapter 6

"AHHAHAHAHA~ STOP! IT TICKLES!" Tsuki continued to roll on the floor laughing as the tall blonde tickled him mercilessly.

"No way, little flea. You have to surrender to the monster!"

"NOOOAHAHAHHAHAHA!" He tried to roll away and Shizuo pretended to eat him.

"Omnomnomnomnom."

"NOAHAHAHA! STOP!"

"The Shizu-monster will now eat his young!"

"NOOOO!" Tsuki slid under him and glomped him from behind. "I GOT YOU!"

"OH NO!" Carefully falling to the floor, Shizuo gasped, "I've been caught! Can't breathe…" He shut his eyes and lay lifelessly on the floor.

"Huh? ,,,Daddy?" The boy nudged him and gasped, "OH NO! I KILLED DAD!"

"GAH!" Shizuo sprung up with his arms ready and caught the startled boy, pulling him into a hug. "GOT CHA!"

"No fair! You cheated!"

"You vanquished the monster!"

"No, it looks like the monster is still moving," Izaya's voice stopped them and they both looked up to find the informant standing in the doorway. "Would you both care to explain how you ended up on the floor?"

"We were playing games!" Tsuki smiled brightly.

"What happened to Namie-chan, Tsukishima?"

"Uh…"

Shizuo ruffled the boy's hair and looked over, less than amused, at the flea, "she was scaring him so he ran off and I found him in town."

"I see…"

"It was fun!"

Izaya stared at them both as Shizuo lifted the boy up again and grinned, "It was a lot of fun!"

"Plus we got to see uncle Kasuka in a movie!"

Izaya started at that, "uncle Kas-"

"We did, but I think the neighbor's cat will miss you."

"Yeah, Linda Linda was a nice kitty."

Izaya walked in and looked around the place again before turning to Tsuki, "Tsuki, could you go get your things?"

"Aw~ Do I have to go?"

"Yeah, I miss having my little genius at home." Izaya smiled and the boy nodded.

"Daddy should move in with us. He's fun."

Both adults froze in their place as the little brunet took off to gather his things.

~.~

Temperatures dropped in the region of Shizuo's apartment at that moment. The lights seemed to dim, giving their energy to the livid informant standing before Shizuo.

"What the _hell_ do you think you are doing with _my _son?"

Shizuo yawned, "like I said, he was roaming around Ikebukuro when I found him. Apparently some secretary scares him."

"Stay away from us, Shizu-chan."

"You heard him. Tsukishima wants me around as much as you."

"NO!" The sound ripped itself straight from the informant's throat, sounding feral.

"Whether you like it or not, he does."

"That's why you need to keep away."

"You can't control everything."

Izaya snickered darkly, "au contraire Shizu-chan. I can. You see, I've been around his whole life, whereas you've been around for… three days? Four?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Of course it does, a relationship can't be built in a matter of hours."

"He's my son too."

"He was mine first."

Izaya glared at him in fury as Tsuki ran back into the room and carried a little box with him, "vatti! I got you these."

His face straightening immediately, Izaya opened the box and smiled down at the boy, "dark chocolates? Thank you Tsuki-chan." He set the box aside and pulled the boy close. "I missed you _so much _today!"

"I missed you too! It would have been more fun if the three of us had spent time together."

Again the kid mentions the _three _of them. Both adults avoided eye contact.

"We could have fun too, just you and me."

"But you always have your phone…"

Shizuo smirked knowingly.

"I could…possibly…" Izaya tried to think of something, but his phone was his lifeline to his work. Leaving it with anyone else or lying on some table would be the same as running up to a thrown vending machine.

It would kill him.

"Can Dad come home with us?" Tsuki looked up at him pleadingly and Izaya stared at him in half-horror, half-surprise.

Him?

Bringing a monster into his own house? Letting him play with his son? Letting him know exactly where he lived?

That would be suicide!

"Ah~ Tsuki-chan..."

"I know you and Dad don't get along, but he is actually really nice and he even said he doesn't do anything out of pity so he won't be nice unless he means it!" The boy hugged him close and Izaya didn't miss the shaking, "please? I'll make sure not to leave a big mess and I'll actually aim when I go to the bathroom and I'll go to bed on time and and and-"

"Tsuki~" Izaya laughed, although made mental note to not underestimate the little schemer, and kissed his cheek, "if it _really _is that important. I guess Shizu-chan could stay the night tonight…_IF _he wants to."

Tsuki's whole body whipped around in question and Shizuo saw the flicker of a smirk go across Izaya's face.

So that was how he was going to play this…

"You shouldn't even have to ask. Of course I'll stay over."

Tsuki beamed and knocked his glasses off in exuberance. "Oops…"

The informant returned his glasses and sighed, "come on Tsuki-chan. It's getting late."

"Alright. Hurry dad!"

~.~

_**A/N: -sipping some tea and eating ootoro- …This works. **_

_**Thanks for the reviews, please continue~**_


	7. Chapter 7

First off, in his defense, Shizuo (and probably most people that knew the louse) never would expect the flea to be a parent. Why?

His sadistic behavior.

His job.

No one would actually expect this.

Tsuki ran ahead of them into the enormous apartment and kicked off his shoes, going over to a little desk that sat next to what could only be the informant's. He set his bag onto a couple of hooks on the side and started to get out his drawings, turning on his little computer and wiggling in his little computer chair.

"…tch."

"I know, like father like son-"

"Mother. Like mother like son. You're his mom." Shizuo started to reach for his smokes when the flea rounded on him.

"Give it."

"Hmm?"

"Your cigarettes. There's no smoking in my apartment."

"Fine." He tossed the packet at the louse and went further into the apartment, taking in the artwork on the walls, the plants, the bulletin board of drawings that hung next the flea's desk; the large picturesque view overlooked the edge of Shinjuku and the expanse of Ikebukuro.

The phone on Izaya's desk rang and Tsuki stood up to pick it up, "Orihara residence… Mhmm. Hold on," he put his little hand to the receiver. "Vatti, it's for you."

"Thank you Tsuki." Izaya skipped over and lifted the phone from his young charge, kissing his forehead and answering the phone.

"Ah, Tsuki… Do you always answer the phone?" Shizuo walked over and looked at him questioningly.

"No, but sometimes vatti has to use the restroom and can't answer." Tsuki smiled and went back to his little chair, spinning around in it.

Shizuo sat on the edge of Izaya's desk and frowned. The kid was awfully young to be owning and working a computer, let alone answering phone calls.

"…No, no, Namie-chan. I am only docking your pay a little bit," the louse laughed for a minute before his gaze turned dark, "Namie~ You don't want to play this game with me. I won't play fair~"

"Dad?"

Shizuo shook himself out of his thoughts and looked down at the boy.

"You aren't going to be fighting with vatti, are you?"

"Why would I do that?" Shizuo gathered up his energy and picked the boy up, grinning despite their company. "He's letting you and I get to know one another. How can I fight him about that?"

"I don't know…" Tsuki nuzzled into his chest and Shizuo smiled wider.

"You ready for bed?"

"Not really. I don't want that mean woman to come back and you to go home…"

"I'll stay all day tomorrow if you want me to."

Izaya stared at them, clearly oblivious to his phone call as the low sound of someone speaking came through the receiver. The informant watched their exchange and red eyes flickered back and forth between their expressions.

"Really?" Tsuki looked up at him excitedly, his red eyes bright and wide.

"Yep. I'll even toss the couch in front of the door in order to stay." He bounced the kid in his arms and Tsuki laughed.

"Cool!"

"First off though, we can't have you falling asleep as we do things. When you wake up, you can show me what you like to do here."

"Okay." The little brunet wrapped his arms around his father and snuggled close in his arms. "My room is right next to vatti's."

"Alright."

~.~

Izaya stared after them as the duo headed to Tsuki's room.

"Orihara. I don't wait around all fucking night. My boss or not-"

"Namie-chan, such language." His voice carefully hid his displeasure as he returned to the work at hand. "I don't particularly need a secretary who is incapable of doing her own job-"

"Don't even give me that. Nowhere in my job description does babysitting some snotty brat exist."

"Careful Namie…" His voice remained teasing even as dark undertones took part. "You are being so mean~"

"Whatever. I'm taking tomorrow off."

"Fine~ I'll be working on some other things anyway;" Namely stopping some family man debt collector thinking to take _his son._

"Bye."

Izaya hung up the phone and made a b line for the bedrooms. He stopped short and took to eavesdropping, lying his head against the wood.

"Dad... Do you really hate vatti?"

"We had some bad run-ins when we were younger…" Shizuo sounded nervous.

_ Good. I hope Tsuki scares you out of my house._

"Does that mean that we'll never be able to all go play somewhere?"

_Yes, Tsuki. Daddy is a protozoan and vatti is a busy person who has no time to do anything with that brute except kill him for making me a freak of nature and have a kid like some chick… not that I regret ever having you._

"Of course not."

_Huh? _Izaya blinked in surprise and pressed closer, he did not hear that right. It sounded like the man had just said no.

"Vatti and I will both play with you tomorrow."

"But vatti has to work-"

"Nope. I'll even steal his phone away and crush it to make him spend time with us."

"…just don't make vatti mad though…"

Shizuo's laugh could be heard from the other side of the doorway even without having to press his ear to the door. "I won't. Don't worry about it. I'll go talk to him now, alright?"

"Okay…"

"Goodnight little flea."

"Night Dad."

Izaya backed away from the door and shot away as he heard the sound of Shizuo heading out of the boy's room. He rushed to the confines of his desk and took position in his seat, revving up his computer screens and pulling up his latest work.

The blonde entered on cue a few seconds later. "Izaya…"

"Oh. Shizu-chan, what do you want now?" Izaya glanced away from the screen he was typing into and stared at the brute.

"I need to talk to you."

"Ironic. Usually we just speak by playing cat and mouse in the streets. I didn't install any vending machines into my apartment… or stop signs."

That was grating on the man. He balled his fists and those mocha eyes narrowed, "it's about Tsuki."

"I see. Aren't you a little late to be taking part in his life? Think about it. The father he's never really gotten to see, but hear about all his life and suddenly you pop up and expect him to just run into your arms? It's a common family issue. Children are very fragile things. They resent parents that are gone from their lives, even if they run off on business trips or fight off somewhere in a war. It hurts them."

"Shut up! I would have been here the whole time had you had the guts to tell me that you were-"

"Would you Shizu-chan? Or would you have killed me before an abomination came out of me." Izaya walked around his desk and glared at the man. "You did, after all, mention that I had to be gay because no woman would want a baby of mine."

"…Izaya-"

"If I had told you, you would have killed Tsuki and me."

Shizuo shook his head, "I…"

"You what?" Izaya walked right up to him and looked him straight in the eyes, "tell me I'm wrong."


	8. Chapter 8

Shizuo glared at him, "The past is the pa-"

"No no, Shizu-chan. You can't take back the words you said. I can remember every _fucking_ word you said that night." The informant pulled out his switchblade and aimed it at the blonde. "I played your little game, but I'm warning you now, kidnap Tsuki again and I won't hesitate to kill you."

He started, "Kidnap? What the hell are you talking about? Tsuki came to-"

"You expect me to believe that my own son would look up your address, someone he doesn't know, and run all the way through Ikebukuro, passed alleys of danger, despite being horrible with directions, just so he could see you. Then, within a day of being picked up by his real parent, run off yet again to see you."

"Believe it or not, he did-"

Izaya laughed in bemusement and agitation, "and what can you offer him? You are only getting by on what low pay Tom-san is giving you."

Shizuo lunged forward and grabbed the pesky flea, ramming him against the wall. "He came to me, louse. Obviously I have something to offer him that you can't."

"And what would that be," the informant rasped, "A record for raping another man or an anger that has been known to keep him unemployed."

Izaya's head connected with the wall again as Shizuo glared down at him, "it isn't rape if the fucking louse under you enjoys it."

"You assume too much."

"I don't assume, flea."

Izaya's eyes glinted, "wouldn't that title belong to you now? I'm staying out of 'bukuro. It's you who keeps coming back and refusing to leave."

Shizuo growled and slammed the informant against his own desk, letting him slide to the floor. "I don't give a shit about anything that has to do with you. I hate you."

Izaya made a pained sound before looking up and going to make a comment. He paused and began to rub his neck, where red marks were beginning to show. "Tsukishima… you should be in bed."

Shizuo's blood went cold.

~.~

Tsuki walked into the living room and hesitantly made his way over to the informant. "I woke up and heard yelling."

"Shizu-chan and I were just having a disagreement."

The boy stood in front of Izaya and shook a little.

"…Tsuki?" The louse looked up and laughed, "What's this? Come on, stop crying and tell Vatti what's wrong."

Shizuo could only stand there as Tsuki sat down and hugged the flea. "I'm sorry Vatti. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"I'm fine~"

"But your neck is all red and you're bleeding."

"Hmm?" Izaya looked down and his crimson gaze met a bloody side. "Ah…I probably will need to fix that."

Tsuki hugged him closer and began to sob into his shirt. "I'm sorry… I didn't know that he hated you."

"Shhhh~ Tsuki-chan. It's okay. Come on. It's okay." The informant cooed softly to the small boy and Shizuo balled up his fists. That louse…

That pest of society could actually act human to one person, but he…

Shizuo himself couldn't go an hour alone with the louse without hurting him and, in that, hurting his kid.

_Fuck…_

The blonde turned on his heels and walked swiftly out of the apartment, leaving the duo sitting on the floor, comforting one another.

~.~

_**A/N: **_**I'm only gonna break break your break break your heart~ I'm only gonna break break your break break your heart~ -singing as she writes- **

**I love the reviews you guys. It's like half of you are siding with Izaya and the other half are with Shizuo. ^-^/ Who knows who's side I'm on. I'm just enjoying writing this. **

**Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated. They make this story come faster. **


	9. Chapter 9

"Shizuo! It's been so long!" The good doctor laughed as he yelled to Celty in the background who was on the phone.

"I know… I was wondering when the last time you had seen Izaya?"

"Izaya? Oh! It's been over five years, Shizuo. Why?"  
>Shizuo paused and boarded the subway before sighing, "I saw him yesterday."<p>

"OH GOOD! He's alive then! That's a relief… Wait, you didn't kill him did you?"

"No."

"You sound funny. Should I send Celty to chat with you again?"

"No. I'm fine."

Others boarded around him. "Dude," a boy exclaimed, "stop singing that damn song. No one wants to hear it and I told you I wasn't going to date."

"**Lock eyes from across the room**

**down my drink while the rhythm booms**

**take your hand and skip the names**

**no need here for the silly games…"** The other boy continued while gazing lustfully at their friend.

"Seriously man. It's pissing me off!" The first boy moved a little in discomfort and tried to hide a smirk.

"**Make our way through the smoking crowd.**

**The club is the sky and I'm on your cloud.**

**Move in close as the lasers fly**

**Our bodies touch and the angels cry**

**Leave this place and go back to yours**

**Our lips first touch outside your door**."

"GOD DAMMIT! STOP SINGING JIZZ IN MY PANTS! IT'S NOT EVEN A LOVE SONG!"

The boy smiled brighter as he continued without pause, "**the whole night we got in store.**

**Whisper in my ear that you want some more**

**And I JIZZ IN MY PANTS**!"

The other boy wrapped his arms around him and covered his mouth, stopping the song from continuing. The kid looked around and looked sheepish, "sorry everyone. My friend is insane."

"**I just ate a grape and I Jizz in my pants**."

"GOD DAMMIT! YOU SHUT UP!"

"…Shizuo? You still there?" Shizuo stared at the two on the bench and frowned a bit.

_"Shizu-chan~ Always so angry!" _

_"IZAYAAAAAAAAAA!"_

_The informant swung around on the fire escape and laughed, "just couldn't keep away from my house, could you?"_

_"We're finishing this!"_

_"Oh? And what has you all revved up this evening? Didn't enjoy a conversation with the police…again?"_

_Shizuo shot forward and managed to grab the slippery informant by the hood of his jacket. With a squeak, the informant stumbled back and laughed, his hand going for his switchblade. Without thought, Shizuo cocked his arm back a bit before slamming the informant against the side of his apartment complex. _

_"So rough~" Izaya coughed before his trademark smirk replaced any possible look of pain. "Be careful. I have women who will want to have me still have my precious parts in mint condition."_

_"Tch…" Shizuo rammed the man into the wall more and held that tiny neck with one hand, "what woman would want you? Besides, with the way you fucking tease, you have to be gay. Faggot."_

_"Careful Shizu-chan." Izaya warned, "monsters have no room to judge."_

_"Shut up."_

_A pain sliced up his chest and Shizuo stumbled back, holding his chest as the informant sprinted away. "It was fun to play with you, Shizu-chan, but I have things to do."_

_"FLEA!" Shizuo rushed forward and the informant ran into his building, going straight for the elevator. He leaped in and pressed the button before waving happily as the doors shut._

_Stupid flea… it was called stairs. Shizuo grinned in sadistic amusement as he rushed up the stairs nearby. He could beat that flea on his worst day to that damn apartment._

"SHIZUO~!" Shinra's voice elongated his name and Shizuo shook out of his daze. Fuck…

"I'm still here."

"Oh, alright. Well I was saying that you should try to reconcile with Izaya." Shinra laughed, "then again, no. Ah~ I'm overthinking this. Nevermind. It's nice to hear from you after so long! It's been years! I have been having to talk to Kadota and he's just not as fun to talk to as you and Izaya."

"Shinra. I'm going to let you go. I'm feeling a little sick."

"OH! Come on over and I'll give you a body examination and take some blood samples-" Shizuo hung up and rubbed his brow, annoyed.

Annoyed annoyed annoyed…

What had he been thinking?

God, he hadn't been thinking!

Everyone had mistakes! Why did the world have to be cruel and make him suffer from them?

Shizuo returned home exhausted and threw himself down on the couch, beyond disappointed by his own actions.

~.~

_**A/N: I would be mean and tease here, but I feel like you all are getting emotional enough without my charming and witty personality. **_

_**Reviews are beyond amazing. Some of you are REALLY into this story. Your continued protégé is greatly appreciated. Please, by all means, continue your comments. They're great inspiration.**_


	10. Chapter 10

"Hmm?" Izaya paused in mid keystroke as he listened to Shiki.

"I need someone to look through the files in the Nara office."

"Ah, Shiki-san. You have others who are more than capa-"

"They don't know the contents of some of the files, which I'm sure you do." Shiki responded quickly and decisively.

"I see…" Izaya looked over at Tsuki and mentally cursed. "Fine. I suppose a couple days couldn't hurt. I'm sure my sibling would hav-"

"No guests."

"Hmm?"

Shiki's voice went low. "my group in Nara is already suspicious with me sending one person up. They will attack if there's more."

Shit…

"Fine."

"Ja nee, Orihara-san."

"Ja nee."

Izaya hung up and dialed hurriedly. "Namie-chan!"

"No."

"Hmm?"

"I know what you're doing and my answer is no. I'm not babysitting. Find someone else. That doctor friend or delivery person."

"Ah~ but no one else can know about my little one."

"Then have that brute babysit him since your kid likes him so much."

"He doesn't anymore~" Izaya thought back to last week and giggled a bit.

"Then put him up in a shelter for a few days or have the neighbors drop by to feed him and let him out so he can take a leak."

"Namie-chan, don't be comparing him to a mutt."

The woman wasn't listening as she spoke to someone in the background. "…actually, you can bring him here."

"I won't stand for him being experimented on."

She paused. "Don't be listening in on my conversations."

"I will if you so graciously force me to~" he sang.

"You know that kid is developing mentally and physically at somewhat astonishing levels. It's why you don't have your doctor friend babysit him."

"Hmm…"

"I wouldn't _kill_ him."

Izaya hung up and looked at the boy laying in the living room. This was going to be a rather large blow to his ego. "Tsuki…"

"What?"

Izaya really didn't like himself too much right now. "I have to go on a little trip so I'll need you to spend a couple nights with an acquaintance."

"I don't have to stay with Namie-san, do I?" He stared over in fear and shock.

"No no." Although you probably would prefer her, "I'll need you to stay with Shizu-chan."

"With dad?"

Why did he still call him dad? "Yep! But I'll only be gone a couple days and then I'll pick you up immediately."

"…do I have to?"

"Aw~ I know. I don't want you near Shizu-chan either."

"…" The brunet boy bowed his head in disappointment. His hands fumbling with the edge of his scarf, he mumbled. "I don't want vatti to get hurt. Can't your friends back home come and watch me?"

"Tsuki~" Izaya clicked his tongue in disproval. "You know Japan is your home. Besides, the guys back in Bavaria are too far away. I have to leave within the next couple hours."

"Oh…"

That feeling overwhelmed him again as Izaya looked at the small boy. Just a couple days… He would run up there, go through the files, and then be back before the monster could ruin his son. With this in mind, Izaya stood up and crossed the room, hugging his young charge. "I'm going to call every day and you can still call me whenever you want."

"…vatti." Little arms wrapped around him as the boy shook, crying.

"Shhh~ Tsukishima~" Izaya pulled the boy onto his lap and wiped his face clean, "don't cry. I promise this will not take long. When I come back I'll even take a day or two off so we can play games and go play in Ikebukuro."

Sniffling, the boy looked up at him, "…y-you pr-romise?"

"Mhmm~ You are my little prodigy. My work will always come second to you."

"I love you, vatti."

Again with that statement. Izaya hugged the brunet back and felt something stir inside at that declaration. Maybe it was just the fact that someone was dependent on him, but… "I love you too, Tsuki-chan." He beamed down at the kid before pushing him away. "Go pack~ I have to get back to work."

"Okay." Tsuki took off to his room and Izaya pulled his phone back out.

…

He really didn't want to do this.

…

The phone rang on the other end, uninterrupted by anything except the sound of the informant's breathing.

"Hello?"

"Ah~ Shizu-chan!" Izaya felt himself smirk like old times.

"…what the hell do you want, louse?"

"Oh, I was just calling to chat. You ran off so quickly the other week."

"Shut up."

"So mean~"

"…I'm hanging up-"

"Oh Shizu-chan! You want to see Tsuki-chan, don't you?"

"…" The phone went silent before- "keep talking."

"Oh, how different~" Izaya forced himself to remain on the line, "You heard me, Shizu-chan. I have to make a quick trip north and have to leave my sweet Tsuki here in the safety of Tokyo."

"Tch…"

Silence remained quiet for several minutes and Izaya waited for a response.

"…Am I coming over there or are you bringing him here?"

Looking about the place, Izaya shrugged, "I'll bring him to you."

"Fine." The man hung up and Izaya stood up, eventually going to help his son pack.

~.~

_**A/N: "You update fast." **_

…_**Yeah… about that…**_

_**-flashback- **_

_**Me: -reading reviews- OMG! I KNOW THIS REVIEWER! THEY WRITE THAT AWESOME CROSSOVER! –reads more- OH! THIS PERSON IS CRYING! –gasps- I LOVE THESE GUYS' STORIES! …-looks at next couple chapters sitting contently on the computer screen- …it's not too soon to update… I mean, it isn't like the wait three days before you call thing…-updates story-**_

_**-end of flashback-**_

…_**-shrugs- You people get me all excited with your reviews. Continuing such behavior is encouraged. Review away, my dear readers. **_


	11. Chapter 11

They're late… Shizuo glared at the clock on the hall before grabbing his hair dye and at least getting something done for today. Brown roots were peeking out from his scalp. He wasn't going to sit around and wait hand and foot for that louse when he could accomplish something.

Calming down, he began to unpack and mix the ingredients. He was dye his hair and then go out and find that louse, getting his son.

A pounding at the door made him drop the bottle. "SHIT!" The stuff stank, some landing on his shirt. The blonde threw his shirt aside and wrapped a towel around his shoulders before going to the door.

"Shizu-chan!" Smirk in place, Izaya greeted him as Shizuo opened the door.

"Louse."

"We're here!" Izaya brushed past him, key word _brushed_, fucking gay louse. He plopped down on the couch and set the bag he was carrying on the floor, looking around expectantly. "It's only two days…"

Tsuki hesitated on the doorstep, eyeing him before going to join his vatti on the couch. "Vatti, you don't have to go, do you?"

Izaya laughed and hugged the boy close, "You know I don't want to. I'll be back soon. You can always call me and I'm going to call every single night." The crimson gaze met mocha eyes as he emphasized that, "_Every. Single. Night._"

"I'll miss you…" Tsuki curled up closer and Izaya smiled as he held him as close as he could.

"Of course! I don't want to leave my Tsukishima with anyone! You're all _mine_."

"Tch…" Shizuo walked over and looked down at the informant, bemused. "Don't you have a train or something to catch."

"Mmm…" Izaya rubbed the boy's back and shut his eyes for a minute before nodding. "Shizu-chan's right. I have to go, Tsuki-chan. I'll come back for you as quick as I can."

"…okay…." Tsuki sniffled a bit and Izaya smiled again to him before kissing his forehead.

"I'm going to get going. You go blow your nose."

"Bye vatti. I love you."

Shizuo blinked in shock at the expression that shot across the informant's face. Was he really that shocked? A slightly less cocky smile appeared on his face before, "I love you too, Tsuki-chan." He got up and waved the kid off before turning to the blond. "Shizu-chan. I see so much as a hair out of place, I'll kill you."

"I won't-"

A switchblade tapped his chest as the informant glared up at him. "Not. A. Hair. Understood?"

"Fine." Shizuo glared right back before the informant walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Good. He could finally associate with his son without the louse cutting into everything. Speaking of which, Shizuo wandered back and started to search for the boy. He had tissues in the living room. Where the heck did the boy go?

"Hey!" Shizuo grunted as he found the boy standing in his bathroom.

"AH!" The bottle of hair dye flew from his hands and spilled, hitting everything around.

"What the hell?" Shizuo rushed in and nearly cursed out when he saw it had dumped onto Tsuki's head.

"Sorry! I was just looking at it and…" He looked in the mirror and started to try and rub it out.

"Stop. It's stuck there for a while."

"A while?" Tsuki looked at him sadly and Shizuo chuckled a bit.

"It's permanent hair dye."

"So it'll be there forever?"

"Just until your hair grows out enough for you to cut it."

Tsuki looked at his head and shook his head. "It looks bad."

"That's because it's not on all your hair."

"It that why you're blond?"

Shizuo nodded. He had two options. One, run out and attempt to find brown hair dye in that color and hope the louse doesn't notice the slight natural highlights are gone… or dye Tsuki's hair blond.

…

Tsuki looked at him warily.

"Tsuki, you want me to finish dying your hair?"

"Hmm?" Tsuki looked at the mirror for a minute. "…okay."

Louse couldn't kill him if Tsuki wanted it. Shizuo grabbed the next box of dye and began to mix the ingredients again. The boy sat on the counter and swung his legs as Shizuo continued on his hair and then finishing his touch up on his own. They finished just as Tsuki started to yawn, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses.

"Tired?"

"Yeah."

"Come on," he held out his arms and picked the boy up into his arms.

Tsuki looked over again at the mirror and laughed, "I look even more like you now!"

Shizuo grunted, unsure if that was a good thing or not.

~.~

"Ticket?" the man glanced at the boarding pass before handing it back to the informant.

Izaya watched him continue on to the other passengers before he yawned and looked out at the landscape. Out there in his beloved city was his son, being watched by a monster.

_It's only two days. _

Two days was a long time in informant years. It was long enough to easily undo the strongest of relationships, long enough to destroy businesses and burn down civilizations.

Gah, he was overthinking this. He would be gone for two days, come back, and find Tsuki in all his brunet glory.

No problem.

Izaya leaned back and watched his precious humans on the train.

Ah~ Mikado and Masaomi were going to their hometown?

The Dollars leader looked at his friend warningly, "if you start singing Jizz in my pants again, I'm not going to come back to Tokyo."

"Mikado~" Kida whined, "I was just playing with you!"

"…"

"Fine! No Jizz."

"Thank you."

Gleefully, Kida pulled out his mp3 and began to sing, "**Most girls I meet are quite savage~**

**Always trying to grab upon my package~**

**They say I look yummy and they want a taste~**

**But I'm a human not a sandwich~**

**Sometimes I feel like LL Cool J**

**I need love not random booteh~**

**But every girl I try to get to know~**

**Is a trying to do meh~ .**"

"KIDA!" Mikado glared at him in anger and horror as people snickered nearby.

Ah, the world provided such good entertainment.

~.~

_**A/N: -coughs- That's why Kida went gay. Much more love. –cough cough- **_

_**Anyway, MY REVIEWS! –smirking- I love them. Continue with it~! **_


	12. Chapter 12

The blond stared across the table as he yawned and watched his young lookalike. Both had their hair disheveled, both were exhausted…

One was refusing to go to sleep.

"Tsuki, just lay down in the bedroom and go to sleep."

"I don't wanna."

"Tsuki~"

Tsuki returned to sketching and ignored the elder, thus aggravating the brute more.

"Tsukishima! We're going to bed! It's midnight!"

"Nope. Vatti says I can ignore you."

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT THAT LOUSE SAYS! IT'S BEDTIME!" Shizuo stood up and the boy sighed.

"I don't want to go to bed. Then I'll have to put my guard down and you'll kill me…"

Shocked, Shizuo stared at the boy, "…did Izaya tell you that?"

"No… I heard you both yelling the other week."

Shizuo sighed before sitting his elbows onto the table and staring at the boy, "You know that your vatti- your mom was trying to pick a fight."

"Vatti does that to everyone though…"

Shizuo shook his head. "Your mom was just…"

"Vatti. We're supposed to call him vatti."

Like a lightbulb; like dry grass catching fire, Shizuo bit back a smile as an idea spurred to life. "Tsuki… Do you know what a mom is?"

Tsuki nodded, "a mom is a woman who has babies and takes care of them."

"Exactly, Izaya had you, therefore he is your mom."

"Vatti is…my mom? But guys can't have babies."

Now that was a bit of a mystery there. Shizuo shrugged in dismissal. "He's your mom since I'm your dad."

"Okay…but you still hate him."

"Do you know the rule about parents?"

Confused, Tsuki shook his head.

"Parents have to love each other or else their children die."

The boy gasped, "OH NO! I'M GOING TO DIE!"

_Brilliant Shizuo. _Shizuo shook his head frantically, "No! That means that we can't hate each other because you're alive."

"Oh…" They both went quiet and stared off in random directions. "So… you don't hate vatti- mom?"

"No."

Tsuki yawned, "I'm sleepy."

"Can we actually go to bed now?"

"I guess…" Tsuki walked over and wrapped his little arms around the blond, but the phone started to ring just as they got up to go to bed.

About ready to bust the wall in, Shizuo set the boy down and answered the phone, "What."

The other end was loud and boisterous as he listened,

"_KIDA!_

_"RED ONE!_

_"SOMEBODY CALL 911 SHIZU'S THROWING STOP SIGNS ON THE DANCE FLOOR! OO-OH~ I GOTTA COOL HIM DOWN HE WILL BRING THE ROOF TO GROUND ON THE DANCE FLOOR! OO-OH~ HE'S FIRE BURNING FIRE BURNING ON THE DANCE FLOOR _

"Shizuo-san?"

The blond frowned, "Hello?"

"Shizuo-san! I think Izaya-san is drunk! He and Kida keep singing on the train."

"Rugamine?"

"Yeah, can you please talk Izaya-san away?"

"Put him on." Shizuo turned away from the very confused child sitting in front of him and waited a minute.

"_HE'S GOT THAT FIRE IN HIS THROWS MAKE THEM BOYS RUN AROUND!_

_"Izaya-san, Shizuo is on the phone._

_"HE'S GOT THAT FIRE IN HIS THROWS MAKE THEM BOYS RUN AROUND~_

_"IZAYA! SHIZU-CHAN IS ON THE PHONE!_

"Moshi moshi?"

"Louse."

"Ah~ Shizu-chan! How is mah Tsuki-chan?"

"Louse, what're you… Nevermind." He honestly didn't care.

"Shizu-chan! I made a song about you," his voice practically sang the words. The guy was probably drunk off his ass.

Tsuki looked over at him expectantly. Damn… "Izaya-_kun," _he stressed the suffix for the kid's sake. "We were wondering how you were doing."

"Ah~ how sweet. Shizu-chan was all worried about me~" snickering came from the other end as he and someone else laughed. "Don't worry Shizu-chan. I'll be back to kill you later."

"…" _Contain anger. Contain! ANGER! _Shizuo walked out of the room and growled quietly, "louse you listen and you listen fucking well. You get drunk again and I'm going to kill you, child or no child."

"Oh~ Fiesty. Just like on the night of Tsuki's conception."

"Louse…"

"Kill you later~" the phone disconnected before Shizuo sighed and walked back into the kitchen and wordlessly picked Tsuki up and went to bed.

Damn louse, pissing him off.

~.~

_**A/N: Ah~ A great source of inspiration, Facebook profiles of Izaya and Shizuo. It's like an endless supply of amusement. If you can find my durarara profile on FB, I'll give you internet cookies. Anyway, sorry about the wait, work is keeping me busy. **_

_**As always, reviews are simply adored (and probably the only reason I remembered to update this). **_


	13. Chapter 13

"TSUKI~"

A quiet snickering came from the living room and Shizuo looked around the apartment for the kid.

"Tsuki~ I know where you're hiding~"

"No you don't-" a gasp and a smack led to silence as Shizuo narrowed his search down more.

"You're in the living room."

Silence met his statement before he spotted something blond on the other side of the curtains. Slowly he stalked forward, his hand reaching out, almost-

A yellow pillow fell to the ground as Shizuo pulled the curtain back. The quick sound of footsteps rushed away from him and he turned just in time to find nothing. He narrowed his gaze, abandoning the curtains.

Hide and seek was the absolute worst game in the entire world. Who thought it would be fun?

Yet another thing Tsuki and Izaya seemed to have in common besides cunning.

"TSUKI~"

A small figure darted out and glomped him from behind, laughing. "I'm bored! Let's play a different game!"

"What game?" Shizuo just about thanked every god he could think of that Tsuki was bored.

"Run from the monster!" Tsuki leaped off and went running away.

Shizuo stood stalk still and frowned, "Who taught you these games!"

"Mom did! He said that you two played them all the time!"

Ah, he would have to thank mommy dearest later for this.

~.~

Izaya looked out from his hotel window at the night sky and dialed the number blindly, holding the phone to his ear impatiently. Come on! Come on!

WHY WAS NO ONE ANSWERING?

Damn it! He shouldn't have trusted that proto-

"Hello?"

"Shizu-chan!"

"Flea." Izaya listened and sighed as he heard Tsuki in the background bouncing around the place, _"I wanna talk to mom!"_

Mom, what? "Shizu-chan, you haven't done any-"

"He's fine. Here." Shizuo cut him off and Tsuki's voice came on.

"Mommy!"

Okay~ "Tsuki-chan! I'm vatti, remember?"

"No~ Dad said you're mommy because you take care of me and gave birth to me."

"But moms are women."

"Dad said it didn't matter because the rule of parents still applies."

What the hell- "What rule of parents?"

"The rule that says that parents have to love each other or they can't have kids."

"…and Shizu-chan said that he followed this rule?"

"Yep!"

Izaya checked the number on his cellphone…

Nope, not Erika.

"Tsuki-chan~ are you trying to tell me something?"

"Yep! Daddy doesn't hate you!"

"Okay- are you doing okay?"

"Yep!"

"Alright, I have to do something right now. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye mommy~"

"Bye Tsuki-chan!" Izaya hung up and tossed his phone and clothes onto the couch before falling onto the master suite's bed. "…Never drinking again…" This had to be the most fucked up dream of all time.

~.~

Shizuo frowned as Tsuki closed his phone. "All done!"

"Hmm? I needed to talk to mommy."

"Mommy said he had work to do." Tsuki picked up his sketch book and continued drawing.

"Did mommy say when he would be done?"

"No~"

"Did he say what he was doing?"

"No~"

"What did you two talk about?"

"I told mommy that you didn't hate him and he got all quiet and then I had to repeat it and then he said he was really busy and would call again later."

…

Shizuo stared at the child wordlessly, "you…told…him…"

"Yep! I bet mommy is really happy right now!" He pushed his glasses up and returned to coloring as Shizuo felt all the color drain from his face.

That louse did not need to know how he had gained back his own kid's trust. No doubt he had to hang up in order to think of a good way to use this against him.

"Dad~"

"Hmm?" Shizuo looked down to find Tsuki tugging on his sleeve, "shouldn't we go to bed soon? It's almost ten."

"Right." Bed. That would be helpful.

~.~

Izaya was _very _happy. A little _too _happy.

"For the love of- COME ON!" The informant felt so close, it was painful, but still, he was not getting release. He gripped his erection in the bathroom and rubbed vigorously.

_"Izaya-kun~" The voice murmured into his ear like honey even as fingers delve into his ass without any foreplay or lubricant. _

"GOD!" These memories!

_Izaya felt the doorknob to his old apartment leaving bruises into his back as he was pinned against it. The debt collector looming over him like the sky over a canyon. Mile upon miles of the monster was in his sights, but he couldn't do anything. He was trapped._

_ "Caught ya…" Something a little bit- _enormously_ bigger than his fingers touched his entrance and Izaya couldn't help but get turned on by the foreign touch. Hands wound around his waist before the door behind him was opened and he was thrown across the threshold. He scampered to his room, knowing the brute would follow. "IZAYA-KUN~" A predatorial growl wavered throughout the apartment, quiet enough not to be heard by the neighbors, but loud enough that despite his frantic heartbeat and scurrying, Izaya heard every syllable. _

He held his erection tighter, rubbing lower, in a more sensitive area.

_They collapsed onto the bed, Shizuo immediately tossing their clothes aside without preamble. He didn't bother to remove his shades before thrusting into the informant. Izaya screamed, his hands digging into the arms of the strongest man in Ikebukuro. _

_ Still the man did not relent. The pounding was rhythmic. Again and again, in time to his racing heart, his pounding temple, he agony down under; half pleasure/ half pain. He couldn't take it. He was suffering emotional overload. _

_ His thinking was shot. His sight was dimmed to only seeing a monster. There was no control. _

_ "Shizu…o…"_

_ "How pathetic. Not even a minute and you're already getting ready to beg." Shizuo smiled darkly before bending over his chest and biting down hard on his nipple. _

Izaya felt himself cum incessantly onto his hand and the bathroom, far too out of it to contain his seed. His body sunk to the tiled floor, sullied by the results of disgusting thoughts.

"…monster…"

"_Yep! Daddy doesn't hate you."_

Having Shizuo hate him was never the problem… It was the informant's own hatred that was at issue.

"Fuck you, Shizu-chan…"

~.~

_**A/N: SO DRAMATIC! –facepalm- Anyway, YAY! DADDY DOESN'T HATE MOMMY! –killed with vending machine- **_

_**Reviews are my inspiration. Thanks. ^-^/ **_

_**FREE SMUT FOR YOUR THOUGHTS, JA?**_


	14. Chapter 14

A pounding occurred at the door as Shizuo woke up.

"Mom~ Make Namie-chan answer the door~" Tsuki rolled over and snuggled closer, his hair in disarray. Shizuo smirked before getting up and walking out into the living room. Crossing the room, he opened the door to find Tom.

"Your phone die or something?"

"Uh…" Shizuo reached over to the entryway table and cursed to find his phone dead. "Shit."

Tom sighed, "I've been trying to call for an hour. We have a client."

Shizuo nodded, "fine. Let me get dressed and we can hurry this up-"

"Dad?" Tsuki walked out of the bedroom and yawned, rubbing his eyes as he drowsily assessed the room.

Crap!

Shizuo looked between Tom and Tsuki and felt about ready to pound his head against a wall. He couldn't leave Tsuki alone.

"Shizuo?" Tom frowned at him before walking over to the kid in confusion. "Who are you?"

Tsuki looked up at him and took a deep breath before trying to look tough, "Hello. M-my name is Tsukishima."

"And where is your-"

"Sempai," Shizuo interrupted immediately, "shouldn't we be going?"

Tsuki perked up more at that. "Where are we all going?"

"Shizuo and I have to meet with a client."

"Oh…" The boy sighed.

"I'm sure your mom can take care of you for a few hours," Tom supplied in an effort to cheer the little one up.

"But Izaya is in Nara… Mom won't be back for another day."

Shizuo felt his face turn five thousand shades of red as he moved to stop the conversation.

Tom's eyes widened, "why is your mom with Izaya-san?"

"My mom is Izaya-san." Tsuki smiled, "but I still look mostly like dad."

Tom stood in a mixture of shock and who knows what. His mouth opened and shut repeatedly as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. He stared at the boy and Shizuo picked Tsuki up and hurried along, "we'll be ready to go in a minute, Sempai. You can wait outside if you want."

Tom nodded mutely and left the apartment before Tsuki giggled, "he looked like a fish."

"Let's not share your family history with people outside, alright?" Shizuo looked Tsuki in the face to try to wordlessly get his point across.

"Okay." Tsuki smiled and hugged him. Oh, but having it a kid was relaxing. How could anyone have a hard time controlling kids?

~.~

"I KNEW IT!" Erika screamed in pure bliss as Walker stared at the kid in front of the van gang in shock.

"So you were birthed by_ the_ Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya?"

Tsuki smiled as he waited for his father to finish his work inside the nearby apartment, "yep. Mom is busy in another city, but he'll be back tomorrow."

"AWWWWW!" Erika leaped forward and hugged Tsuki. "You are so cute!"

"Dude," Walker held up his hand to receive a high five, "any time you want to watch some anime or something, call us up!"

"YES!" Erika practically glowed in her blissful euphoric state. "You should call us over whenever you want! Especially if your parents are busy together. You should be able to spend time with people closer to your age!"

"O-okay…"

Needless to say, a vending machine burst through a window at that moment.

"YOU IDIOT!"

A man burst from the doors of the complex and took off down the street, closely followed by Shizuo, mindlessly holding a vending machine and preparing to plow the man into the ground.

"Wow, he's really improving on accuracy," Walker commented.

"It must be from practice with Iza-iza!" Erika waved herself in an effort to keep herself conscious.

"You think he's coming back," Tsuki asked, a bit nervous.

"Oh yeah, he'll come back in about five minutes or so. As soon as-"

"UAGHHH!" A loud slam pronounced the end of one long chase.

"PAY UP!"

"Huh…" The otaku duo blinked in surprise.

"This city just got a whole lot more interesting."

~.~

"Whad'ya mean, Shiki-san sent ya?" The duo sat nearby as Izaya looked through files.

"Clearly Shiki-san is unhappy about something. Maybe he's just pmsing." Izaya shrugged, "either way, I don't really care." These files were top company information. Filled to the brim with employ information, experiments happening in the country; it was a motherload of intelligence gathered by multiple informants from across the nation.

And he was holding it.

All his beloved human's lives, from card numbers to personal habits; in his hands. It was Christmas in Japan!

The two men continued to complain.

"But I thought Shiki was going to let me have a break!"

"I thought the boss was lightening up on us. We're watching over his info."

Izaya heard the anxiety and couldn't resist, "You're telling me." He feigned hurt, "I was at home with my wife and child when Shiki just calls me up and ships me up here to flip through information. Next I have to be shipped overseas like some cheap toy! My wife probably will throw vending machines if I reveal what I had to do."

The thugs snorted. "I heard there was someone who actually can throw vending machines in Japan."

"No way, he's from Thailand." Izaya insisted.

"No, he's from Tokyo."

"Bangkok," the other retorted.

Ah, the sweet smell of trolled humans. Delectable. Simply the most alluring of fragrances. Izaya returned to his papers and savored the arguing duo for a while. It was perfect here.

It was just…

Izaya felt his mind go hazy as he tried to continue reading the file in his hands. The words blurred upon the page as he blinked. Lines doubled before his eyes. His sight dimmed into nothing, swimming from the white pages to the three people before him.

Three?

…

~.~

_**A/N: I have no idea, but yay for updates! **_

_**Oh, for reader knowledge, "vatti" is German. It means Father. I figured Izaya wouldn't really take to being called mom and it was a nice substitute name for Tsuki to call him.^-^ Reviews are well received. I adore them. They fill me with inspiration. **_

_**Continue my dear humans.**_


	15. Chapter 15

_"In other news, another few disappearances have occurred in Nara." _

"Tsuki, need any more pancakes?" Shizuo looked over his shoulder at the tv absorbed boy.

_"This time, a business run out of Tokyo reported that Nowaki Hiroki, Mitsuru Yuki, and Orihara Izaya went missing during a night of paperwork. With significant signs of a major struggle and blood found at the scene, police are open to anyone who may have any information regarding the men's' disappearances."_

"Mom's missing!"

"Hmm?" Shizuo frowned, looking back at the boy, "What are you talking about?"

"Mom! He's missing! The lady on tv said so!"

Watching as the newscaster flashed a picture of Izaya on the screen. Shizuo nearly went into shock. That damn flea! How could anyone kidnap that bastard? No. He wasn't even catchable! He knew! He had tried!

"Dad…" Tsuki sniffled loudly, "is mom not coming home now?"

"Heh… well…" Shizuo twitched a bit, trying to come up with something comforting to say to the child. Tsuki was sniffling more frequently, his red eyes were glistening, spilling over as his irises flickered back and forth between Shizuo and the news channel.

"Mom's not coming back…"

"Now Tsuki, let's not jump to conclusions-"

The boy went sprinting from the room, "Vatti~!"

"God dammit, TSUKI!" Shizuo went sprinting after him, turning the corner just as Tsuki went for the door. "TSUKI STOP!"

"NO! I have to look for Vatti!"

"Tsuki!" Shizuo slammed the front door shut before locking it, far above the young boy's reach. "You're how old?"

"This many," Tsuki held up his hand showing five fingers.

"There's a law that says that you can't be out alone unless you are three times that age."

"But vatti-"

"Vatti can wait. He's probably not missing."

"B-but the lady on tv…"

"Tsukishima, I chased and tried to beat up your mom countless times. If he was that easy to get, you would never have been born."

"So… m-mom is…"

"Tsuki, I promise you that whatever is going on, Izaya is probably in complete control."

~.~

"Ah! That's called a stomach! That's where I store food," Izaya glared up at his assailants as they watched him.

"What are Shiki's bank accounts?"

"Really? A bank robbery? You guys couldn't just steal a small amount of money from a number of people's bank accounts?" The men stared at him, surprised. The informant chuckled, "you guys didn't even think about it. How sad! You had all those numbers, all that power, but you never bothered to actually think of that? Dang, all those numbers are guarded now. Oh poo~"

"Shut up!" The men smacked him, their faces set in outrage.

"Ouch, now that hurt. You know, all this insulting is making me thirsty. If one of you gents would be so kind as to get me some tea… or not," Izaya sighed. "Don't hate the player, gents, hate the game."

_Smack_!

"Again with the beatings!" Izaya laughed maniacally. "I didn't even have to do anything! How fun!"

"Shut up!"

_smack!_

"Ouch!"

~.~

"Mom is supposed to be home."

Shizuo rubbed at his headache, "Tsuki. He's probably stuck in traffic."

"Mom is missing. He isn't coming home…"

Grabbing some milk, Shizuo tried to keep his cool. "Izaya must be stuck explaining to the news lady that he isn't missing."

"He promised he would be back."

"and he will be."

Another swig of milk.

"But he isn't home yet."

"Tsuki~ He said he would be home."

~.~

"Again with the baseball bat." Izaya looked up at his assailants. "Naturally, you are being cliché about this."

THWACK!

~.~

"It's midnight Tsuki, come on."

The boy sulked in his seat on the couch. "No."

"Tsuki."

"NO PROTOZOAN!"

"TSUKISHIMA! I'M NOT ASKING! GET YOUR BUTT IN GEAR AND HIGH TAIL IT TO BED!"

"NO!" Tsuki grabbed the coffee table and sent it hurtling at Shizuo, the glass and wood smashed into bits right next to the adult.

Stunned, Shizuo stared at the child in front of him, red eyes dancing in anger, hand on the side of the couch, silently threatening to lift it as well and send it hurtling to its own demise.

"Tsuki…" Shizuo tried to remain calm, his insides screaming bloody murder at how his own son had adopted his strength, "Tsuki-chan… Let's calm down… We're going to go to bed. Tomorrow morning, we'll get up and call mommy if he isn't here yet. I promise you that mommy is coming home. I swear it, okay?"

Tsuki bit his lip, nodding silently.

"Now come here. You clearly need a hug."

The little blond went sprinting into his father's arms, sobbing.

"It's alright, Tsuki."

"I-I-I think my a-arm is b-broken."

Shizuo sighed, "hold on. I'll call Shinra."

~.~

_**A/N: WHOA! TSUKI-CHAN! DAYAM! **_

_**I couldn't resist. ^-^ Anyway, the reviews are brilliant. Thanks guys. I'm looking to update a little more often now. I was just busy with work. Promotion~ Oh yeah~! **_

_**Reviews, as always, are loved.**_


	16. Chapter 16

"Wow!" Shinra continued to stare at them both as Tsuki quietly sobbed again.

"Shinra~" Shizuo growled threateningly before the doctor laughed a bit.

"Gomen~ Gomenasai. It's just this was very unexpected. It's just so fitting."

"Tsuki!"

"Lil Shizu-shizu!" Erika and Walker walked in behind the doctor. Needless to say, Tsuki hid behind Shizuo immediately.

"Shinra, what the hell?"

"Hmm? Oh, Celty-wifey was busy on a delivery and so I had to get a ride and these two offered to help me move supplies." Shinra sat down with his bag and nodded, "don't worry. I told them to be good."

"We will!" Both otakus smiled before plopping on the couch and going through the bag they were carrying.

"Anyway~" Shinra pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and turned serious, "how did you get hurt, little guy?"

Shizuo spoke up, "doesn't matter, just help him."

"Shizuo-san. I can't just patch him up without knowing at least how it broke! It's like trying to fix wiring in a tv when someone smashes the glass. Without some information, I can't assess what needs to be done!"

"I threw a table at dad…" Tsuki sniffled more and buried his face in his father's leg.

"OH! He's got Shizu strength!"

"Lucky!" Walker clapped, "just think! It's a family trait!"

"So perfect! Iza-Iza brains and Shizu strength! It's the most perfect combination of all time!" Erika fanned herself, collapsing theatrically on Walker's lap. "I must be dreaming. Please don't wake me up!"

"Shut it!" Shizuo picked the boy up and sat him down in front of the underground doctor. "Well?"

"Patience, Shizuo…" Shinra pulled the boy's arm away from his chest and tsked, "this is broken alright. Just like his father. Always getting hurt." He rummaged through his supplies and pulled out several things, slowly wrapping up the arm.

"It-t-t's not g-going to s-stay brok-ken is it?"

"No, no. You just need to be careful. Was this your first time throwing something heavy?"

"Yeah… Dad got me really mad…."

"That's not good!" Shinra smiled understandingly and leaned forward. "So your mom is Izaya-san?"

"Mhmm…" Tsuki looked up sadly, making the otaku girl flail in 'fangasms'.

"I see… Would you let me-"

"Shinra~" Shizuo growled again before he could ask about blood samples.

"Fine, fine." Shinra laughed a bit and moved away. "Izaya probably knew exactly how to keep you from getting mad didn't he?"

"Huh?" Tsuki frowned. Shizuo followed suit in the reaction.

"Well, you say that Shizuo got you upset, but Izaya never has?"

"No. Whenever I started to, vatti always knew how to make me happy."

"I see…" Shinra smiled, "so Izaya knew exactly how to contain a raging temper…"

"Damn louse."

"Tsuki- um, that is your name, right?"

Tsuki nodded.

"I need you to do me a _huge _favor, okay?"

"Mhmm."

"I need you to help your dad. He has that same problem you had with accidently throwing things when he gets mad, but if you both help each other, then you should be able to stop each other. Okay?"

"Stop?"

"Mhmm." Shinra smiled, "It's a big responsibility-"

"I can do it!" Tsuki insisted, brightening up.

"Whoo! Go Shinra!" The duo clapped from the couch before getting a glare from Shizuo.

"Alright, then I have to get going. If either of you need me, you know how to call."

"Okay."

Shizuo scratched his head and nodded, "thanks for dropping by Shinra."

The man nodded and left, leaving Shizuo, Tsuki, and their two house guests.

Walker grinned, "who wants to watch some anime!"

"Oh! Junjou Romantica!" Erika squealed before the other three frowned.

"Erika, we can't watch that! Tsuki's like four!"

"Five," the boy corrected.

"Five!"

"Exactly, instill life morals at an early age. Acceptance. We could solve all the world problems against gays by having young children watch such delicacies such as Junjou. It's brilliant!"

"Crazy."

"Shush!"

Tsuki walked over and pointed to one, "can we watch this?"

The duo paused in their bickering and both smiled, "Yes!"

Shizuo watched the duo fall over each other to get to the disk, throwing it into the dvd player and pulling Tsuki to the couch. Deciding the duo couldn't do Tsuki any harm, he went to grab some milk.

"We all know Hetalia is one of the greatest anime out there!" Walker exclaimed, "the greatest pairing being of course Hungary and Austria-"

"WHAT?" Erika looked at her companion in horror, "and you kiss your mother with that mouth? Prussia will always have Austria. Always. Gilbert owned him once and he'll own him again."

"Erika~ this is revenge for my original nonsupport of Shizuo and Izaya, isn't it?"

"Hmm?" Tsuki frowned.

Erika glared at Walker and smacked him upside the head. "Bullcrap! Everyone knows hate and love walk a very thin line. Just like Prussia and Austria, not to mention thousands of other pairings, Shizu and IzaIza were meant for each other!"

"Can we n-not talk about this?" Tsuki mumbled, "I miss vatti…"

"Erika! Sometimes the people just hate each other though! Clearly, if someone is trying to carve another up, it's only natural to think that they just might hate each other-"

"Guys, the movie is started-"

"Walker! NO! I saw their love for each other in their eyes. Their mouths said hate but deep down, we all must listen to our inner Hiroki-san from Junjou Romantica and understand that the love is just starting to bloom."

"Geez! Izaya and Shizuo doesn't make sense! It was always either Shizuo exclaiming his hatred of Izaya or Izaya cutting him up with his knife! Even according to Kadota, they've always hated each other!"

"Guys…" Tsuki balled up his fists and frowned.

"Please~ Unlike most of you, I understand that they were worried about their friends and families being disapproving of their love. They had to take that passion for one another and cope with what they believed was unrequited love."

"No way! The only love between them was a vending machine and a switchblade."

Erika smirked in a very Izaya-ish fashion, "You can stick your switchblade in my vending machine, Walker~"

_BOOM!_

The television smoked as the endtable leg stuck out from the broken screen and the duo paused.

"That…was…"

"Awesome," Erika finished, smiling more.

Shizuo returned to the room and sighed, "What the hell happened?"

"Dad," Tsuki looked over the back of the couch solemnly, "I want to see mom."

Shizuo searched the boy's face before assessing the damage to his television.

Damn, what he wouldn't give for a cigarette right now…

What the hell was keeping that flea?

~.~

"No way." Izaya looked up at his hosts and shook his head.

"You speak Russian fluently, yet you say that you are Japanese."

"Nein vay!" Izaya gasped, "because multi-lingual people do not exist in this world. No human could possibly speak more than their native tongue!"

"You will do well not to piss me off." The blonde woman glared at him.

"Look, miss…" Izaya glanced at her tag, "Vorona. I don't know how Russian government works- wait, actually, through trade I do. I am allowed rights as written by the Japanese-Russian embassy. If, let's say, my rights are violated, this little stunt could be turned into an international incident."

"Normally I don't get four Japanese men washed up on my shore with some bloodied up fellow citizen laying nearby drunk out of his mind!"

"How would I be wounded if I killed them?"

"Four against one, do some thinking." The blonde rolled her eyes and sat down again, "just sign the paper, I will help you-"

"How sweet of you, however, I did nothing wrong. I was an unfortunate victim. I have two people who are waiting for me at home and if I do not return, something may happen."

"That's very nice. Give me their address and I will ensure that they are notified that you are okay."

"Good!" Izaya happily wrote down the address to Shizuo's apartment and slid it across the table. The policewoman glanced at the address and shook her head. A well groomed hand lifted the paper up and ripped it to pieces.

"Still trying to claim Japanese citizenship?" She walked to the door to the interrogation room and sighed, "it looks like I'll be watching you go behind bars. Dasvidanya."

Watching her leave, Izaya sighed. Probably should have waited for the plane to land in an airport before overtaking and killing his captors.

Whoops~.

~.~

_**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I was in a car wreck yesterday. On a funny note, I saved myself with parkour! THANK YOU RANDOM INNER IZAYA MOMENT! XD **_

_**Downside, I kinda got bruised up. ^^' Oh well. As long as I'm alive and was able to walk (or limp slightly in my case) away, I'm not worried. My car is gone though. **_

_**Anyway, thanks for the reviews. I love it! Keep it up!**_


	17. Chapter 17

"WEE~" Erika and Walker ran into the room, jumping onto the sofa. "This is awesome!"

"Most definitely!"

Tsuki ran into the apartment he shared with Izaya and called out to his mom. "Vatti! Vatti! ANSWER ME!"

Shizuo growled as he found the apartment empty. "Damn Flea." Oh he could just see that damn louse doing such a thing.

_"Shizu-chan. I never asked for this." Izaya glared at him. "I never wanted a kid, but you just HAD to rape me. Did I ever thank you for those nine months of joy? Oh, and the labor, don't get me started about that." _

Crunching made the three others look over at the blond adult. His fingers were dug deep into the nearby wall.

"Dad…"

"Shizu strength for the win~" Erika murmured.

Shizuo remained unresponsive, his thoughts distracting him completely.

_"You could have gotten rid of him if it was that bad-"_

_ "Really, Shizu-chan?" His inner Izaya stood before him and held his arms open, a look of amused bitterness. "Tell me, how would I do that if I have no vagina? You know, that funny place where babies come from?"_

_ "Izaya…"_

_ "What?" He giggled, "Oh Shizzy-chan~ Thinking you can change anything. I'm fine now. You can take care of Tsuki-chan and I get to roam as my free single self, not bound to anyone or anything."_

"Worthless louse…"

"Whoa!" Walker got up and lifted his pants up. Strutting across the room, he tapped the man's shoulder. "Shizuo-san!"

"Hmm?" Snapped from his reverie, the blond looked down.

"Oh hey! What's Izaya cell number? We can call it."

"Right." Shizuo pulled the phone from the table over and started to dialing the informant. Tsuki bounced over from the bedroom hallway and stood next to him.

The sound of ringing filled the room.

~.~

"YOU DAMN IDIOT!" Bullets rang through the storm as the informant ran away from the police station. The woman chased after him, shooting as much as she could with as much accuracy as she could.

Izaya smirked. Ah~ the Russian countryside was priceless. A winter splendor all its own. Snow swirled about his person, landing on his beloved fur trimmed parka. The handcuffs clung to one hand, unworthy of any further attention for the time being.

"NAKURA! I WILL MURDER YOU!"

"Adorable. It's like being chased by Shizu-chan… except Shizu-chan is sexier…"

A city came into view and Izaya laughed. Let's see this woman handle the true city life he thrived upon.

Izaya sprinted faster, the snowy surroundings only aiding him in this night winter wonderland.

People almost completely ignored him as he ran into the city. He spun several corners, amused by the very humans around. Huh, he had always thought of Russians to be all muscular… must be a stereotype…

Finally pausing, he took careful note of the area. Not much around…

Some run down buildings were about.

_Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

"haa?" Izaya opened his phone and smiled, "Hello?"

"LOUSE!"

"SHIZZY-CHAN!"

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"Ah… about that-"

"NAKURAAAAAAAAAA!" A bullet embedded itself into a nearby wall as Izaya leaped back.

"Shizu-chan?" He looked at his phone and cursed as it went dead. A minute later a knife landed in the center of its keyboard.

Great, Shizu-chan was going to kill him.

Unless this woman had a say in his death first…

~.~

Shizuo glared at the phone before throwing it roughly back onto his hook. So much for that.

"Did you get a hold of him?"

"…left a message…" Shizuo looked at the otaku duo and sighed, "you guys should leave."

"Okay!" Erika grabbed Walker and headed to the door.

"Erika, I'm coming."

"Don't worry Shizu-chan. Ukes always take their sweet time!"

"ERIKA!"

Tsuki frowned, "what does uke mean?"

"Come on, Tsukishima. Bed time." Shizuo was NOT explaining that.

"Is it sex related?"

Shizuo pushed the boy along before he went any further. He was going to kill that informant. He was going to kill him good.

~.~

_**A/N: -intense writing going on- … -more intense writing- **_

_**-nomming ootoro-**_

_**-hugging Shizuo/Izaya body pillow-**_

_**-intense writing continues-**_

_**Reviews are awesome. Thanks peeps!**_


	18. Chapter 18

_Waiting…_

_ Waiting waiting waiting…_

_ Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting…_

_ WAITING!_

Shizuo couldn't stand it.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

The clock kept ticking second after second after second. Tsuki continued to draw and even that was annoying. Repeatedly making scratching sounds and still Shizuo had to sit by that damn phone.

Waiting.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

"Hugs make monsters die~" Tsuki hugged him out of nowhere and Shizuo frowned.

"What?"

"H-hugs m-make monsters die. Only humanness can stand hugs."

"…I'm guessing Izaya taught you this?"

Tsuki nodded into his chest. "Hugs make angry faces go away… except with Namie-chan. She's just a monster."

Hugging him back, Shizuo chuckled. "So he just hugged you when you get upset?"

"No. Sometimes mom tickles or does impressions of Namie-chan. Oh! There was this one time where mom put on a wig and dress and pranced around the living room since I said I was really mad at him and didn't want to see him."

Shizuo failed to avoid the mental image of Izaya in a dress and covered his face to hide the blush from his son. All the same, Tsuki continued blabbing on about his time with his mom as if nothing had happened.

"-then there was this one time where mom decided he was going to lock the fridge so I wouldn't drink all the milk and eat all the ootoro. It's really good though! Then I dropped the carton of milk when I was getting some later and mom went, 'you know, some monsters would be very upset about that. They would toss vending machines and stop signs at you.'"

Shizuo picked the kid up and perused his face features carefully," Have you been eating sweets from the kitchen?"

"No~"

"Are you lying?"

"Mom says lying is an art that some people are able to do as if it were the truth."

What a wonderful mother Izaya had been. "Tsuki, stay out of the sweets."

"I'm really hungry~" As if on cue, the little guy's stomach growled and he wiggled impatiently.

"Alrig-" The phone started to ring as Shizuo started to lead the kid to the kitchen. Rushing, Shizuo picked up the phone, "Hello?"

_"Hello? Would anyone there know the man named Nakura?"_

"Nakura?" Shizuo frowned, covering the receiver as Tsuki tried to get his attention frantically. "What?"

"That's mommy's name when she talks to funny musshin people."

"Musshin?"

"Yeah, like S-simon."

Oh, Russian.

_"Hello?"_

"Uh, yes. I'm his er- close family. What's going on?"

_"He was found on the shores of Russia with four dead bodies."_

"WHAT? Is he alright?"

_"He was drunk off his ass, but fine. He escaped police custody this morning and we are trying to figure out where he could have gone."_

"He's still around there?"

_"I'm sorry. We really don't know for sure. We had an agent speaking to him, but he was frustrating her and eventually just escaped by taking the officer down and walking out without anyone realizing it."_

Typical Izaya. "Where do you think he is?"

"We believe he is in Okhotsk, but we lost track of him there."

"Thanks." Shizuo hung up and knelt down. "Tsuki, I need to do something important."

"What is it?"

"Mom's gotten lost."

"Mom did? Like how I usually do?" Tsuki gasped.

"Mhmm. He got really lost and needs me to go get him."

"I'll get my coat!"

"No, Tsuki. Where mom is there are…" Shizuo searched for something to stop the boy from going. Something that the boy would fear and never want to see… "There are very bad monsters. Mom's even afraid of them."

"Oh no." Tsuki's face was one of pure terror as Shizuo finished his excuse. He almost felt bad lying like that, but then again. If Izaya did it so often, once from him wasn't going to do anything.

"I'm going to go rescue mom, but I'm going to have Shinra and Celty watch you for a day or two."

"Okay…"

"Do you think you'll be okay?"

"mhmm…" Tsuki returned to his drawings and Shizuo began dialing.

~.~

_**A/N: -spinning in chair- Shizaya wedding event~ So beautiful! –sob- **_

…_**oh right. Thanks for the view, peep. Reviews are welcome. The next chapter I'm posting up soon (or later, if I am not pleased by how many reviews or comments I get). The next chapter is awesome. I rewrote it three times to get it right.**_


	19. Chapter 19

A week in the freezing planes of hell.

Izaya wrapped his parka closer to himself and felt his legs go numb with cold again. The abandoned apartment he was forced to take refuge in was too cold. He would have to risk being caught by that damn cop again so he could warm up at another restaurant. His wallet was almost empty though…

And his credits were being watched.

DAMN!

Izaya winced as his hand throbbed before turning numb. He was getting too cold. He would freeze to death at this rate.

He drew his coat closer, thanking all the Gods of Ikebukuro that he wore it always, and left the place quietly. Keeping an eye out for any signs of the cops. It looked safe…

He walked slowly into nearby square and relaxed a bit, continuing on.

"Izaya…"

Pausing, the informant looked around for the owner of that voice and shook his head. There was no way Shizu-chan would be in Russia.

That was crazy.

~.~

Heavy overcoat, scarf tucked carefully around his neck, cellphone fully charged, thick clothes. Shizuo walked outside and looked around. He had never actually traveled out of the safety of Ikebukuro and Japan. Simon fumbled with bags behind him.

"Mr. Heiwajima?" A couple of women approached as he exited the airport.

"Yes?"

"Pryvet. Welcome to Russia. I'm sorry it isn't a leisure visit, but we would appreciate Nakura being caught." The blonde woman sighed before giving him a faint smile, "I'm sure that your wife must miss you, but I promise it won't take too long."

Shizuo grunted before the other woman spoke up. "Vorona, why don't you go back to the station and check with the guys on any new information."

"Um…" Vorona shuffled, looking to the newcomer as if for argument, "fine… I guess." She walked off and the brunette in front of him smirked.

"Perverted stick model." She coughed, "Anyway, thank you for coming on such short notice. I really don't see how you'll catch him, but we appreciate any effort. We have pretty much cleared Nakura's name from the list of suspects in murdering the four men since he didn't have any weapons and no weapons were found onsite. The only issue is the one for public damage and assault to an officer," she sighed, "although, between you and I, I think Miss Vorona did that."

"Tch…"

"Hmm, well. I can tell that you would rather be at home right now, so you can just take my card and get back to me if you run into any problems." She winked before turned and skipping- _skipping- _down the street. What the hell kind of cop was she?

Shizuo looked down at the card and shook his head at the dollars logo on the card. Of freaking course there would be dollars members outside of Japan.

"Ready, Shizuo-san?" Simon finally caught up and grinned.

"Come on."

Moving along, Shizuo dragged his luggage to the hotel they was staying at, compliments of one very annoyed Shiki who had insisted that Shizuo find his informant before he murdered his third one that week, and went up to his room, throwing his bag on the bed.

To work.

~.~

Cold.

There is no such thing as cold. There is such a thing as an absence of heat. Yes, that is where the objects around have absorbed the heat from a source. The source's temperature drops until it becomes a low leveled state with the heat depriver. Sometimes the depriver is so vast that such menial retaining of heat becomes impossible. Thus the air and winds provide no relief from being cooled to an unhealthy temperature. Scientists would say that there is one area of perfect temperature for the human body, 68 to 72 degrees would be that area. You could be as nude as when you were first born, but it would be alright.

Even with all this wonderful knowledge, Izaya could only think of one thing…

IT WAS FUCKING COLD!

His feet were cold. His legs were cold. His bones were cold. He was for all intents and purposes, an Iza-popsicle. He couldn't really move without feeling pain. He was getting hypothermia. He was suffering. His beloved parka wasn't enough to keep him completely warm. He once again scrunched his legs against his chest and zipped his parka over them, but immediately regretted it. His legs throbbed in agony, his coat started to tear from nonstop use, and his body grew even colder.

FUCK!

"It's so cold…"

He rolled onto his side and huddled in the corner of the room.

"So so cold…"

He rubbed the wall, beyond rationale.

"Shizu-chan~ you horrible brute. I'm cold…"

He shut his eyes and tried to imagine the monster here.

"If you like me so much, warm me up."

…

"Shizu-chan~"

~.~

Shizuo took another turn and frowned as he came across an old apartment complex. After speaking, with the help of Simon, to several people, one said he had seen a man like Izaya stalking around this place.

"Shizuo, it look dead. Let's return home for sushi."

Shizuo lit a cigarette and shrugged, "you go ahead back to the hotel. I'll be there soon enough."

The Russian frowned before shaking his head and walking off.

Shizuo walked up to the decrepit place. The walls weren't holding up, one completely gone. The windows were broken, filthy, or just plain gone. It looked like a fight had broken out. Izaya wouldn't have stayed here, would he?

No…

"Shizu-chan…"

Shizuo broke into a run and hurried towards the building, throwing the door open. He searched around the darkened hallway as the door fell to the floor.

"…u-ch…"

He moved as quietly as possible, straining his ears for that voice.

"….ch…"

"Izaya!"

"…"

"IZAYAAAAA-KUNNNNNNNN!"

He threw open door after door, not caring about the place. It was broken up anyway. Dust bunnies retreated from the blond as he made entrance only to exit just as quickly.

Izaya laid upon the fourth floor, hidden in a small closet. His clothes disheveled, his coat in tatters. He looked ghostly pale. Shizuo fell to his knees and reached out, feeling the informant's forehead only to find it burning.

"Shizzy…chan…" Crimson eyes opened only to look at him a moment unseeingly.

"Louse."

His eyes closed again and Shizuo took off his coat, wrapping it around him. He picked the man up and held him close, hurrying out of the sorry excuse of a building. Stares of confused men and women looked at him as he walked across the town in a scarf, carrying a bundle of his coat and hidden informant with him.

"Shizuo! You wear coat outside."

"Not now, Simon." Shizuo rushed up the stairs of the hotel and locked his room up behind him. Carrying the informant the extra few feet, he lowered the man to his bed and ran into the bathroom, starting up a tub of steaming hot water. Izaya was going to need it.

He returned only to pull the informant to the bathroom with him. He ripped the clothes from the informant, pulling him close and holding him tight as the water filled. He nuzzled the small man as he felt shivers wrack the other's body.

Come on Izaya.

~.~

Warmth.

Warmth came in wave after wave to the informant. It seeped into his very soul is how deep it went. He felt it lick against the chill, beat back the aches and pain. It surrounded him.

"Izaya-kun…"

_Shizu-chan_. Izaya could almost believe that monster was here, warming him up. Saving him from the cold, harsh reality of Russian weather. He had been so cold before.

_I must have died. Hell feels pretty good right now._

And so many humans complained.

Izaya opened his eyes in a daze as he looked up to find himself in a bathtub. Shizuo loomed above him, smiling in what looked like relief as he caught the brunet's awareness.

"Izaya."

_Yep, hell. Hell in a handbasket. Shizu-chan rape to be continued. _As if in accordance, he felt his nether regions go erect. The ex-bartender grew closer, his warm breath another wonderful addition to the heat that was saving him. The blond kissed his forehead before moving back.

"Come on, times up. The water is starting to get cold anyway."

The world spun around him as Izaya found himself in a new location. Warmth still enclosing him. This time the blond was next to him under what seemed to be bed sheets. He wrapped his body close and held the informant's body to him. He was like a furnace. Izaya nuzzled closer and surrendered to fatigue again. There was a chance that this could be a dream. It was more fragmented and nerve-wrecking than any nightmare, this letting Shizu-chan do as he pleased, yet it was more satisfying and warm than any dream. If dreams ever did come true, please let the Gods of Ikebukuro let this one be true. He didn't want to be cold anymore…

~.~

_**A/N: ^^ Oops. Guess who forgot to update… right~ That would be me. –accepts ire- **_

_**I put up double what I was going to originally put up anyway. That should suffice… or not. I got distracted, but in a good way. You'll see. **_


	20. Chapter 20

"Izaya-kun~" Shizuo leaned over the man as he curled against his chest and nuzzled in closer.

"c-cold…"  
>Damn, he could have sworn that it was warmer in this bedroom. He had the room at eighty degrees! He wrapped another blanket around the informant and held him closer, trying to warm him up.<p>

The man shivered harder yet, his breathing ragged.

"Izaya…"

The shivering was so bad. He could hardly stand to see the pain. Nearby the phone rang.

_"Hello?"_

Shizuo grinned as he pulled the informant closer and answered, "hello Tsuki."

_"Did you save mommy?"_

"Yes, I did. He's sleeping right here with me."

_"...Are y-you coming home soon?"_

"As soon as mommy wakes up."

_"...can you hurry? He keeps making these weird faces at Celty-san."_

He chuckled, "I'll hurry home as fast as I can."

_"Okay…"_

Shizuo hung up only to hear a knock at the door, "Shizuo! Pryvet! It's Vorona. I came to ask you some questions about that bastard Nakura. Plus I brought some papers about his crimes, figure I would show you before we arrest him to the fullest extent of the law. He won't see the light of day if I can help it."

_Oh Shit._

_~.~_

Shinra pouted as the boy hung up. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm just showing Celty I care~"

Tsuki raised a eyebrow before putting on Shizuo's shades and sitting next to Celty on the couch, "you're weird."

The dullahan shook in quiet laughter as Shinra pouted.

[Tsuki, would you like to come with me and deliver a package?]

"Okay."

Wide-eyed, Shinra gaped at her, "I want to go!"

[Only room for two.]

Tsuki waved at the man and held onto Celty's hand, leaving the pouting, amused doctor in their wake. He chuckled after their departure, "oh, if only my wifey knew how cute she looked with a kid…"

The phone began to ring as he went to check on a patient. "Hello?"

"…"

"Hello? …Shizuo? …Shiki? …Izaya?"

The line remained silent

A sound caught the underground doctor's attention as he held onto the phone. He started to turn when he was pushed to the ground.

"Move and you die."

"I don't believe you have a warrant to be in my house…"

The floor met his face again as the intruder holding him down thumped it against the floor again. "Shut up."

"Sir!" What Shinra assumed was the only other intruder returned, "the boss's experiment isn't here."

All force holding Shinra left as the men quickly fled from the apartment. The doctor grabbed the phone, quickly calling the courier.

"Hi Shinra," Tsuki answered.

"Hey. Tell Celty to bring you home immediately."

"O-okay…Why?"

Shinra hung up and redialed quickly.

"Hey Shinra," Kadota sounded sleepy.

"Hey, can you and those friends of yours help me watch the house? Izaya has gotten me into a bit of trouble again." He chuckled a bit and listened as the other man sighed.

"…sometimes I wonder about that guy… yeah. I'm bringing the otaku duo with me, but otherwise I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thanks!"

He hung up and ran to his workroom, pulling out equipment. Why were those men after Tsukishima…

~.~

Kadota stared at Tsuki.

Tsuki smirked Izaya-like at Kadota.

Erika and Walker hugged Tsuki, "Tsuki-san!"

"Hi…" He hugged them back as the older guy remained frozen to the spot. It was like watching his own reaction in replay, the underground doctor thought as Kadota continued to stare at the kid as if the world had suddenly flipped on its axis.

"…What…did Izaya do?"

Laughing, Shinra picked Tsuki up and looked happily at his childhood friend, "this is Tsukishima. Apparently, from what I was told, Izaya and Shizuo had this little guy and I'm watching him until they get back."

"…what do you mean had?"

"I'm going to find out here while you three watch the place."

Tsuki blinked as he was carried back to the lab and the three were left in the living room.

"Come, come, Tsuki. We're going to look into some blood samples!"

~,~

_**A/N: … -busy watching ninja assassin- Thanks for the reviews. Much obliged. **_


	21. Chapter 21

"Are you _sure _about this…" Tsuki looked at the doctor as he examined the blood he'd drawn, the man absolutely giddy.

"Of course, Tsuki-kun! I am a doctor. I'm just simply checking up on your health."

"Oh…kay…" Tsuki swished his feet in boredom and Shinra smiled over at him. "Umm…Here!" He handed Tsukishima a scalpel. "My father let me play with these when I was little, maybe you'll find it to be your calling as well."

Tsuki stared at the object before Shinra hopped at his findings. "Oh this is beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!"

"What is it?"

"You my dear lad, are a scientific marvel!" The good doctor turned and smiled at him once more, "Tsuki, I would like to run some test- I mean, would you like to play with me?"

The boy nodded, smiling innocently, "s-sure."

"Great!" Shinra sprinted around the room and set up several devices to the young boy, setting a chessboard in front of him. "Let's play your mom-er, Izaya-san's favorite game! CHESS!"

~.~

Shizuo stared at the door in horror.

"Shizuo?" The woman knocked on the door again and Shizuo felt himself get pissed.

"What," he practically yelled at the door.

"Hi! Like I said, I want to go over information with you."

"I'm busy."

"Shizuo! I just want to go over a few things…"

Dear lord, but the woman was persistent. He had a kid! He wasn't interested in anyone! Hell, if he had to get with anyone, he would have to choose the louse in his arms. For Tsukishima's sake of course…

Wait…

"Hold on." Shizuo stood up and wrapped the louse under the covers, making his hair the only thing visible. He didn't bother with his shirt, just heading straight to the door and opening it to the Russian woman.

Vorona, in what had to be the most borderline revealing yet proper attire he'd ever seen, stood in front of him. "Pryvet, comrade." She smiled at him and held up the papers. "I have the documents to look at, the pest has caused so much trouble. I want his balls mounted on my wall."

"Can you keep it down," Shizuo opened the door a bit to give the Russian view into his room, "my wife's trying to sleep."

_That_ caught the Russian's attention like nothing else. "Your…your wife?"

"Yes."

"As in… you're married?"

"Is that a problem?"

Vorona looked behind him and backed up, covering her chest a bit, "I… I suppose I should have thought before I came running all the way here. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"Goodbye Vorona."

He shut the door and sighed, falling to the floor in relief. As he heard the hurried footsteps away, he relaxed. One problem solved, that woman wasn't going to be bothering him anymore… at least not like that.

"Shizu-chan…" The informant stirred under the covers and Shizuo pulled out a cigarette from his pack by the door, smoking it as he watched the informant return to reality. The man sat up, holding the blankets around him as he shivered. "…w-why am I c-cold…"

"Because we're in Russia."

Izaya seemed out of it, he looked around and frowned, "where the hell is my Tsuki-chan?"

"He's in a safe place."

That.

That was probably not the right thing to say. Izaya looked about ready to throttle him. Needless to say, the informant clenched the bed sheets "What have you done?"

"Me?" Shizuo snorted, "I did nothing. He's fine. He's staying with Shinra."

"Why aren't you with him?"

"Because I came to save your sorry ass before your-_our _son started to throw any more crap around missing you so much."

Izaya blinked, "he… he actually threw something?"

"A coffee table," Shizuo elaborated before continuing to vent his frustration. "If you would get your pathetic sadistic ass back I wouldn't have had to leave him."

"Why didn't you bring him-"

"He doesn't have a passport and like hell I would have let him see you passed out in some run down abandoned building."

Izaya yawned, stretching a bit, "Well, seeing as how I am back on familiar territory, you can just so kindly sneak me out of his frozen wasteland and I can take my Tsuki-chan home and forget about all this."

Nonplused, the blond stood up, "about your plans for when we get back…"

"Shizuo… you didn't do anything did you?" Izaya chuckled, "of course not. You wouldn't. I would kill you. Since Tsukishima is fine, that only means I need to run by Shinra's, grab my little brunet, and leave. I wonder what he would think of Okinawa. I'm sure my information can be obtained and given from an offsite place."

"I-za-ya…"

"Yes, Shizu-chan?"

"Tsuki… had a bit of an accident…"

Izaya froze, "…Shizu-chan… you better not be saying he got hurt… I will carve out that monstrous heart of yours before going to cut off your rape stick."

"FOR THE LAST TIME! YOU WANTED IT!"

"Shizu-chan, just because you tie and gag someone to their bed, does not lust create."

"You came!"

"A common reaction done by a rape victim."

"…Fine. I raped you." He wasn't going to argue anymore. He was tired of this shit. "I raped you, we had a kid, so what?"

Izaya smirked at him sardonically, "So what? So I had to leave my fucking _home _and actually kill someone because of you. I had to run around in a foreign land, a large womanly bump on my stomach. Oh! That was a baby bump, completely natural on a man."

"Iz-"

"Oh, and let us not forget the wonders of childbirth! Have you ever had a baby Shizu-chan? Let me tell you, having someone come out your ass is just utterly delightful! Miracle of childbirth!"

"Fle-"

"Now now. I'm not done." Izaya stood up, wobbling as he walked towards him. "I had to then hide and care for an infant, raise it until I was so _sick and tired_ of being away from my own home that I had to smuggle him back into Japan and create a fake birth certificate for him as well as all other documentation. Then you, _you _just have to come along and think for a _split second _that because you fucked me up the ass, you can dictate my future." The informant was just inches from his face as he spoke by this point. "Guess what? I don't _need _you. Neither did Tsuki. You made him need you, just like you're trying to do with me now."

Shizuo stared at him for a moment, watching his face carefully. "...We hated each other…"

"Yeah, what the fuck happened there Shizu-chan? Did you not look up the definition of hate? Hate sex is a lie."

"I don't hate you…"

"Obviously." The man turned, "clearly all you can think with is your basic primal instincts. Truly, you are a Neanderthal."

Catching his hand, the blond stared at the informant as the other stumbled, falling against him. Curses rang through the air. The informant shivered still as he remained in place, trapped by the hand holding his. "I don't hate you…"

"Very nice, but you see, I don't care." Izaya glared up at him. "You're not my type. My love is for all my humans an-" He was interrupted when lips meet his.

Shizuo leaned his forehead against the informant's and grinned, "you know what I did before you woke up?"

"I have no idea, raped and tossed innocent puppies down the street? Raped a bellhop?"

"I told the policewoman after you that the person sleeping in my bed was my wife."

"Shizu-chan, do I really look like I care?"

Hands gripped him harder as Izaya found himself more trapped than before, the brute holding onto him smirking more as his face turned somewhat dark. "I told her you were married to me, doesn't sound like too bad an idea. It would stop this domination over Tsukishima that you have."

"Did you not hear a thing I said, you can't just come into my life and-MMPH!" Izaya pushed at the brute in vain as Shizuo stomped his cigarette into the floor and kissed him deeper.

"I dyed Tsuki's hair blond."

"WHAT?" Izaya stared at him in horror and Shizuo laughed, "I also got him into calling you mom or mommy."

"You ba-MMPH!"

Shizuo pulled back a few minutes later to grin, "You want to know what rape is, I'll give you a good example. Then I'm taking my _wife _home and getting _our _son from Shinra. Because guess what?" He bit down on the informant's collarbone and listened to the informant moan in pleasure, he pulled back to find a blue mark in place of his lips. "I really don't give a shit whether you want me there or not. I didn't come to this fucking iceberg for shits and giggles so shut the fuck up and lose the blanket before I rip it to shreds and take you dry."

~.~

_**A/N: I figured someone had to get pissed. It's Shizaya, not Tsugaru and Psyche. They're relationship thrives on being pissed at one another. I tried to prep for the pissed! Shizaya moment. Hopefully I managed, I think I did. ^^' I really should find a beta to read over these stories. **_


	22. Chapter 22

Izaya stared up at him in mounting horror, his insides throbbing at the mere prospect of a round two with the man. It was a mixed feeling that churned within him; his mind writhed in disgust and outrage at the thought, but his other half, his body, wanted to give him.

Shizuo leaned in and bit him hard on the neck, ripping the cloth from him and tossing it aside, "enough, I'm tired of listening to you speak. It's my turn to be in charge."

Izaya couldn't breathe as his mind flashed between the present and the past. He tried to shove the brute away from him, only to find his hands trapped. The mocha eyes gazed down at him possessively. Nothing was making sense, the brute hated him.

Shizuo dragged him across the hotel room floor, leaving what would become rug burns upon the informant's heels.

"I'm sick of your bitchy attitude and your downsizing." The brute threw him onto the bed and laughed, "I really love to hate you, Izaya. Your damn trolling pisses me off," he grinned, "but I think I can break you now."

Izaya stared at him, half out of it.

_The brute came down on him and threw his legs apart, touching him where he was sensitive, causing Izaya to hear a sound come out of his mouth that sounded like encouragement. _

Shizuo hovered over him a moment before leaning in, nipping a path up his chest. He left no possibility for him to be able to speak. Oxygen became unnecessary. Air would mean less Shizu-chan. Less Shizu-chan…

Izaya couldn't think of a fate worse at the moment.

His mind went into cardiac arrest.

"I'm sick of you pushing me away. Give in. Give me Tsuki. Give me you, Izaya-kun~"

_"I-za-ya~" The name ripped itself from the brute's lips as Izaya buried his knife into the brute's side. The knife was promptly ripped from the flesh before Izaya found his mouth on the wound. "Clean it, louse."_

"I-za-ya~" Shizuo ran a hand through his bangs, looking down at him in clear lust. The brute trailed a hand down his leg, coaxing it away from its twin. Izaya's mind melted to nothingness as the moment imposed upon him. The indescribable heat radiating into a boiling, steaming feeling; it ushered him into submission. His mouth opened, but no words came out, only the warm release of air.

Shizuo leaned in and covered that escaping air, kissing him hungrily. He stroked down below, spurring the submission further. Izaya couldn't move let alone do anything without him at that moment.

Shizu-chan.

There was only Shizu-chan.

Izaya didn't want anything else.

Someone had possessed him, taken him over, rewired him from the inside out; they had forced him to beg, to release these pleads to the monster, for the monster. Izaya looked up at him and wordlessly begged with his eyes. His crimson gaze shimmering for the brute as though he was the only piece of ootoro in the world and he was starved…

Ravenous…

Wanton, just for a mere taste of the luxurious meat.

Shizuo leaned in and murmured against his skin. Telling him, demanding things of him, things that Izaya would never in his right mind give in to.

'I've been drugged,' was Izaya's only thought. 'The brute has drugged me and this intends to use the opportunity against-'

"I-za-ya~"

_The name spilled forth from his mouth like the sweetest honey, its effects like the strongest aphrodisiac, luring the informant into a false sense of comfort and need. _

_ Izaya tried to rip his mouth from the brute, he bit, he thrust his tongue into the wound, trying to hurt the monster. Shizuo only laughed, worming a digit in between his skin and Izaya's mouth, "if that's the way you wanna play, I'll go with it. Even if you don't suck, I'm bleeding enough to lubricate a finger or two. Otherwise," he smiled darkly, "let's see how much sex the infamous informant of Shinjuku has had lately."_

_ Izaya gazed upon him in horror before a finger was inserted. _

Shizuo looked down at him to see the flicker of reminiscing pain reflected in the crimson orbs looking back at him. He captured those lips again and stroked the informant more. He ran a thumb down the mounting erection next to his own. He rubbed the two together, spurring his sanity into a frenzy. His gaze zoned in on the man under him. The informant remained unspeaking, not like last time.

_"Monster…" Izaya gasped, "protozoan! Brute!"_

_ "Yeah? You aren't looking so human right now either. You look like a slut." Shizuo laughed and inserted another finger, "has all of Ikebukuro been in here, Izaya-kun?"_

_ "Monster… I'm a virgin…"_

_ "Was." Shizuo smirked, uncaring for the loss of chastity. "You were a virgin, although with your area of work, I somehow doubt that."_

"Izaya…" Shizuo kissed a path down the informant, leaving no spot untouched, "Izaya-kun… Iza-chan…"

The informant shuddered under him. Shizuo pulled back, finding the man with eyes shut, his face bright red, his mouth open for more air.

Reaching over, Shizuo grabbed a bottle of lube from his bag and uncapped it, the sound echoing through the room. The goo oozed out into his hand, warming on contact. He had put a lot of thought into his reunion with the informant, never expecting it would be so quick.

The red gaze met his before the blond leaned in and kept his hand on the informant's thigh, lightly skimming up and down the man's shaft. "Let me in, Izaya~ Let me in…"

The man shut his eyes, turning his head. His body arched at the touch of the ex-bartender. Shizuo knew he was close.

"Let me in…"

"…"

"Give in to me…"

The man's body leaned towards the stroking.

"Stop fighting me…Let me in…"

"…"

"Iza-"

"Hurry up." The man glared at him and Shizuo pulled his hand away, earning a sound of complaint from the informant. He leaned in, kissing him and claiming territory upon the man's mouth. The brunet wrapped his arms around him.

"Tell me what you want." Shizuo wouldn't hear of himself being a rapist anymore. He was sick of it, sick of feeling guilty, sick of losing sleep over it, sick of thinking that Tsuki had been a mistake of theirs. He wouldn't have it stand a moment longer. Izaya would give in to him, he would voice his wants, and Shizuo would give him it. He would ensure that the informant never left this room uttering a word of his person being raped.

"Just hurry…"

Shizuo nipped at the man's collarbone and smirked a bit, "hurry with what?"

"Don't tease unless you're going to finish the job."

"Tell me what you want, I-za-ya-kun~"

"Fuck me."

Shizuo moved up the informant, kissing his way until he could rest his forehead against the brunet's, he gazed down at those crimson eyes. "No."

"Shizu-chan~"

"I won't fuck you. Give in to me~"

Izaya blushed harder and narrowed his gaze, growling, "stupid protozoan, I'm telling you, you won. Fuck me."

"No. Give-"

"I HAVE!" Izaya yelled, "I'VE GIVEN IN! TAKE ME!"

Shizuo shook his head, "no, you're pretendin-"

"SHIZUO HEIWAJIMA! SHOVE YOUR DAMN PENIS UP MY ASS!"

Izaya breathed in hard as he screamed the words to the blond. How could he? Didn't he know what he was doing to his sanity? Did Shizuo not understand that he was lost? He couldn't fight anymore. Not when his whole person, his body, even his mind, begged for the monster's touch.

"Do you want me, I-za-ya~"

"Yes…"

Shizuo's gaze mesmerized him, beckoning him in like a snake with its prey. "Do you want me to take you? Do you want me?"

"…yes…"

"You are going to listen to me?"

"Yes."

"You'll give yourself to me?"

"YES!"

"You want me to make you mine?"

"YES! DAMMIT SHIZU-CHAN!" Izaya dug his fingers into the monster's back and kissed him, giving into temptation. Where were those gods right now? He'd been led astray. He was lured into the monster's lair. He was trapped in the valley of the shadows, unable and unwilling to return.

Shizuo dominated over him, returning the gesture and sliding the first preparation home inside him. It wasn't anywhere near as fast as it had been before. The brute was slowly making his progress, deciding against his former time with the informant.

The mere thought of that made Izaya fall harder, his burn combusting into a blue flame, hotter than any feeling he'd felt before. Nothing had ever brought such raw feeling from him before. There was nothing like this burn, like this raw temptation.

Shizuo couldn't believe how responsive he'd gotten the informant under him. He inserted another finger and watched the man writhe as if it were the very essence of life. Those red eyes glazed over, dilating in wanton lust. He tangled his hands in the ex-bartender's blond locks, pulling him in for another searing lip-lock. Shizuo moaned, deepening the kiss.

He pumped the fingers in Izaya, stretching those insides in prep for his manhood. The feeling of that tight space brought another moan out of him. Shizuo didn't want to wait anymore. He'd waited too long.

Waiting.

He was always stuck waiting.

He was always stuck watching.

He was so sick of it.

He was so _sick _of waiting.

He was so _sick _of watching, hoping that something would come along and make him feel human, make him feel wanted.

He lubed his erection with his other hand, uncaring that the lube bottle fell from the bed. He pulled his hand out and looked to the informant's face, silently demanding the brunet speak the words once more.

He would make Izaya tell him he had given again.

Izaya met his gaze and those eyes widened, his gaze reflecting the blond's own before those lips parted again. "…please…Shizu-chan…"

The erection made itself a home inside him and Izaya moaned in ecstasy. His hips moving to try and get him to move. Shizuo held them into place and leaned over the man, his mouth forming a teasing smirk. "I-za-ya~"

"Sh-shizu-chan… stop…stop teasing…and take me…"

Shizuo moved mind numbingly slow, his instincts screaming, demanding sustenance. Izaya moaned in agreement to his thoughts, begging him to pick up the pace. To move faster.

"I can't take it…"

Shizuo had waited too long, he wouldn't have his fun taken from him so quickly. He leaned in close, next to that blushing face under him, "you can't take it? I waited for you for five years. You abandoned me here. You left me to suffer alone while you ran off to start my family." He lifted his head, feeling as though he was finally where he belonged. He was finally on the top, nothing could bring him down. "I'm not waiting anymore. We'll do this my way, your way leaves us both cold."

~.~

_**A/N: -cheering- Isn't it beautiful~? Shizuo in complete control, Izaya trying to fight it, but unable to gain back control? Review, even though this lemon is awful…**_


	23. Chapter 23

Izaya burned, writhing upon the bed sheets. The words seared across his consciousness, imprinting themselves upon him. Shizuo's hands scorched paths upon his skin, the places they had gone frozen without him. His thoughts fogged up, becoming opaque to the central thought screaming from his body.

He wanted Shizuo to take him.

He wanted to be engulfed in the man's warmth.

He didn't want to ever be released.

His eyes burned with the thought, his mouth latching out for the brute's. Shizuo pounded into him mercilessly. That darkness overtaking his mocha colored gaze. The informant had seen it before.

_Shizuo had continued to hit him, hitting him in that spot. The informant tried to shut out the monster, close his eyes like a child rebelling from dawn's light, but the brute's fingers dug into him. Those eyes hardened on him more, the monster's teeth embedded themselves into his sensitive skin._

_ "What's wrong, I-za-ya-kun?"_

_ Izaya's eyes flickered open at his own mind's response. 'nothing,' he was enjoying this. He was enjoying being touched by this monster. The thought repulsed his sanity; how disgusting it was, to be in love with a monster. That was no way for a God to behave. There was a reason the Greek pantheon as well as other religious polytheistic gods were no longer believed in. They had faded to dust, forgotten by the sands of time for their faults. For their easy love for individuals… for monsters…_

_ But him…_

_ Izaya had no faults. _

_ He most certainly would not be in love with a monster such as this. _

_ "Look at me while I fuck you." The term did nothing to inspire his gaze. Shizuo's hand tugging his hair, forcing his head to look directly up at him, that did. Izaya stared into the darkening brownish orbs and wondered briefly why him._

_ Why would Shizuo do this to him?_

_ Was killing him not enough?_

Shizuo kissed his chest and began to move upwards. Those eyes enraptured him. Izaya watched them in a daze, the out-of-body experience that could only be found here. His body was on hiatus. His mind was drifting, a vagabond on an unknown journey.

His motions became led as his mind traversed across plains of past and present. Shizuo's action spurred his body into motion. Entrance led to tightening, exiting led to moans, arms reaching out to him for his return.

Those eyes…

Izaya couldn't look away.

The elusive gaze fascinated him like the man himself did.

"Izaya…"

The word spilled forth from him again and Izaya felt something rip through his senses. The warning signs were thrown up in his mind, the screens turned red, the sound froze in midstream; all Izaya could think…

"Shizu-chan… I'm gonna…"

Shizuo watched the flames flicker in those red eyes as he pounded himself home. The informant was more responsive than before. Perhaps…

Perhaps the informant wanted this.

The brunet's words sent volts of lust coursing through his veins. Shizuo leaned his head back and let out a laugh before resting his head against the informant's and gazing at him, enjoying the view from on top.

It was a rare and unusual circumstance, dominating over the informant. Izaya was no one's equal except his. This was something only he could accomplish. If anyone else dared to try…

If anyone else touched him, Shizuo would kill them.

"Sh-shizu-chan….I'm gonna…" The brunet's face burned a deeper pink as he gripped the sheets, trying to stave off that moment of ecstasy. Shizuo wouldn't have that. He returned his gaze to those eyes and brushed his lips against the informant's.

"Cum then." The words were less eloquent then the louse's but he didn't care. He had power over the informant now. Whether or not the informant cared to admit it, Shizuo had him.

Warmth sprayed upon his chest as he possessively claimed his own. He ran a finger down the man's length and watched the body under him convulse harder. The carmine eyes looking up at him darkened with need.

Izaya was finally broken.

The thought sent Shizuo passed the point of return, he felt himself cum inside that tightening space. He leaned into the informant's neck and bit down as his climax overtook him. The feelings coursing through him were the same as before.

Overwhelming.

Izaya fell through his daze, feeling himself becoming lost to the blinding white flashing across his vision as he felt himself cum onto their chests. His heart pounded against his chest. Nothing was straightforward anymore.

Eyes wandering up to meet the blond's, Izaya felt himself drift into nothingness. He would worry about the ramifications of this later.

~.~

"Oh, Tsuki~" Shinra cooed as he looked over the brainwave readings on the computer, "where have you been all your life?"

"Bavaria."

"This is gold. This is beautiful. The only thing better than this is my wife-AH," Shinra grunted as Celty hit him in the chest.

[You're scaring him.]

"Nonsense, Celty!" Shinra laughed and looked over to find the blond hiding his face with his scarf, clearly uncomfortable. "Umm… I mean- Tsuki-san! You should go get some rest. You seem a little tired."

Celty hit him again.

[It's five in the afternoon… what have you two been doing?]

"Nothing! We played some chess and have been-" Another jab to the gut cut him off. The dullahan typed quickly before sticking her phone in his face again.

[Why is Kadota-san and his friends here?]

"Tsuki has some interested parties interested in him."

The woman paused for a moment. [Do you think it has to do with Izaya's job?]

The good doctor pushed his glasses up and turned serious, "honestly, I think it has to do with whoever did the delivery, although I can't be sure."

[Should we warn Shizuo of this?]

"He'll find out soon enough. Besides, he has to deal with Izaya at the moment."

"Should I g-go to bed?" Tsuki asked, confused by the conversation.

"Ah, Tsukishima-san. I want to ask you, has your eh… has Izaya ever told you about any of his work?"

"Mom plays with his humans."

[Has he ever told you how you were born?]

Shinra sighed, "Celty~ of course he hasn't-"

"Yeah. Why?"

Shinra blinked. "Oh…well… Tsuki-san! We would like to know how that happened."

"Mom loved dad a lot one night and I was created."

The two adults slumped at the statement.

"How cliché."

[Thank you for telling us Tsuki.]

Even though both she and Shinra knew it was useless information. Tsuki nodded before going to the other room. "Vatti had to hide me from everyone except his boss. He was referred to a different doctor because he didn't want dad to love us out of guilt so he had to go to this insane informant/doctor guy named Jinnai who tried to kill him after I was born and mom had to take care of the man and his associates and take me to Bavaria so that we would be safe until things calmed down." The door shut as Shinra stared after him in shock.

"What?"

[…He couldn't have told us that to begin with?]

Shinra shook his head, "little troll." He turned and sighed,

[Do you think he left out that information for a moment on purpose?]

"Of course Izaya would have some of his personality in that little guy. I keep thinking because he looks like Shizuo that he'll share the same personality."

[Do you think whoever helped bring him into the world is trying to get him?]

"I think it's safe to say something isn't right here."

[…You don't think aliens are involved, do you?]

"Aliens…" Shinra bit back a smirk, "is that what Kadota and the other two are watching in the other room?"

[…Aliens are taking over the world in the movie and forcing all the nations of the world to become white blobby people.]

"Don't worry, Celty-san! I'll protect you!" Shinra smiled brightly until another punch landed to his gut, he coughed as he returned some air to his lungs. "The only problem we have right now to worry about is possible kidnapping and those two in Russia getting home."

[…thanks.]

Shinra grinned, "but if Celty is so worried about aliens, I know my person is alien repellant. Scientifically proven repellant in fact! You can come get some safety from those foreign invaders any night you would like- GAh… I was just trying to help…"

[You're not funny.]

The doctor laughed good naturedly as the dullahan wandered off to her room, taking a moment to ruffle Tsuki's hair on her way. Shinra sighed, even as he managed to get Celty to be his girlfriend, Shizuo and Izaya actually had a kid!

Lucky devils; they had no idea how lucky they were…

~.~

_** A/N: Erika! Walker! Don't watch Hetalia: Paint It White in the living room! XD I love being teasing you all. It amuses me while I reinstall over 100 gb of music onto my computer. Ah, yes. You're reviews have made my hard days easier. Thanks.**_

_**~Reviewing is a sign of maturity. They get me to update~**_


	24. Chapter 24

The flight felt like eternity, the water below threatened to consume them if they fell. Izaya watched it silently, tensed up in his seat. His mask was firmly in place, a teasing smirk gracing his lips, but inside he was climbing the walls. Blame it on his last experience with flights, but he had absolutely no desire to be on this plane.

"Flea, you're scaring people. Sit back and relax."

This was completely backwards, completely out of synchronicity with their usual mannerisms. Should it not be Shizuo scared out of his mind?

Still, Izaya needed to get home quickly. The moron next to him had been beyond all realms of idiotic. He just longed to turn to the ex-bartender, look him in the eyes, and ask in the most calm tone of voice, _do you know how Tsuki-chan was born?_

Of course then it would lead to questions, anger, hatred, woe, and Izaya would find himself down a very important temporary ally.

There was no doubt though… Shizuo would find out soon enough.

"Flea-"

"I know. Stop scaring people." Izaya threw a taunting look at him. "Shouldn't I tell you that Shizu-chan. A blond Japanese man is highly suspicious…"

"Shut up." Shizuo obviously didn't want to be reminded of the two hours in customs because he was a randomly selected person who should be investigated.

It was funny though…

As if sensing this, Shizuo glared at him more. "Shut u-"

"_Hello passengers, we are now landing in Tokyo. Please return to your seats and make sure that seatbelts are securely in place. We will be experiencing a bit of turbulence, but this is only normal. Thank you for flying Japan airlines."_

~.~

"IZAYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The whole airport crowd split in horror as the duo went sprinting through the building. Izaya waved to the man at customs and sprinted towards the exit, wasting no time waiting for Shizuo. Shizuo was PISSED!

"IZAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Again, the informant seemed to have disappeared from the area.

"Sir, we need to see-"

Shizuo slammed his open passport against the glass of the customs window and the man flinched.

"…I see…Thank you for flying with us today, Mr. Heiwajima."

Snorting in ire, Shizuo took off for the door, grabbing his bag as he went. He weaved through throngs of people, looking for a bartender dressed brunet ahead of him. There was no way in hell he was letting that louse out of his sights for another minute.

~.~

"Celty?" Shinra knocked on the bathroom door, "wifey~ have you seen the kid around."

"Tsuki even makes Shinra and the black rider sound like a fluffy couple," Erika cooed from the couch, "he just makes all my dreams come true~"

Walker pushed her off the couch as Shinra chuckled, walking into the other room.

"Cel-"

[Our room.]

"I just was in there, he wasn't anywhere."

[Hungr-]

"Celty, I just checked," the doctor interrupted before she could finish writing. "He wasn't in there either."

The shower water stopped before shadows enveloped around the tub, the dullahan exited the shower and shot out her hand for her phone. [You don't he left, do you?]

"I don't know…" Shinra spun around and stuck his head out the door, "Oi! You guys seen Tsuki around?"

"Tsuki?" Walker frowned, "yeah, he was in your guys' room, dozing after complaining that he was tired."

Erika nodded, "yeah, Dota-chin sent him in there-"

"For the last time, it's not Dota-"

"No one cares, Dotachin!" Erika piped out, climbing into Walker's lap.

Shinra wasn't listening by this point. He ran over to his room and began searching, having Celty and the van gang quickly join in searching the whole place. Shinra and Dotachin grew more and more frantic as the search continued.

"You guys, we need to leave. Now."

"What?" The otaku duo stared at him in shock, "but we haven't found Tsukishima!"

"I can't leave when we don't know where the love child of my alltime favorite pairing is missing!" Erika whined.

"I don't want to die today." Dotachin complained.

Shinra dropped to his knees and went pale, "I'm too young to die… I haven't made sweet love to my Celty- OW!" The doctor went to his side as Celty hit him.

"Would anyone like to kindly inform me where the hell my child is," a low sickly sweet voice murmured, turning everyone in the room's blood to ice. Slowly, the group turned to the front door, meeting the ever-smirking face of Izaya and to Shizuo…

One very angry, very lethal-looking, blond muscular figure of death; allied in his vexation by one very knife-happy looking, cunning partner; the group in the apartment could see their lives flashing before their eyes.

~.~

**_A/N: Aw reviews~ I will withhold this next chapter until I have recieved twenty reviews for this. Muahaha! Anons, supporting reviewers, etc; you must review to let me know this is still interesting to you all. In the meantime, I'm going to make myself some tea. Ja ne~_**


	25. Chapter 25

"Shizuo. Izaya…" Shinra backed up until he could hide behind Celty. "You both returned so s-soon."

"Shinra… where the hell is Tsuki…" Shizuo glared at the good doctor and the man gulped.

"Well you see… um…"

"From what I've heard Tokyo bay is getting pretty empty, if you catch my drift Shinra," Izaya murmured in that low voice of his.

[We knew where he was, but we wanted to leave him be to sleep and he vanished. Shouldn't we focus on finding him? ^^']

Celty's text did nothing to quell the two angered parents. Izaya looked at the whole room and threw his arms up, "why bother! Let's just leave an informant's child unprotected in a city. Let's just watch some anime and obsess over headless women! What could possibly happen?"

Shizuo even tried to calm the informant, "Izaya-"

"Oh! While we're at it, let's leave the kid with people he's not at all familiar with! Let's leave him with an unlicensed doctor who's probably a bit insane and a creature of folklore! Great idea. It's not like anything could possibly go missing from a dullahan. She's only lost her own memories and head, but a child with legs? No way, she'll keep good track of that."

Shinra glared a bit, "Izaya, what you're going through is common paranoi-"

"Don't you dare try to chalk this up to paranoia," Izaya hissed, turning on his heels and heading out the door. "I'm going to look for my son and I'm going to take him home."

"Fine." Shizuo started to follow when the flea rounded on him, giving him one royally pissed glare.

"_I_ am going to look for _my _son. You tried as a parent, but unfortunately you fail to realize that you can't seem to make choices to his best of health."

"Like hell! He's our-"

"My! My kid! Honestly, Shizu-chan. How long do you think you can keep looking me in the face. How long until you throw a vending machine at us? A week? A month? I don't do domestic home life. We fucked. It happens-"

"Don't pull this shit, Izaya!" Shizuo threw his arm out and slammed the informant into the wall outside the apartment, "he's mine as well as yours. Do you forget shit so fast. You agreed to let me in-"

"And what? Suddenly we would just be bestest buddies and we can do our nails and read fashion magazines- Sorry to break it to you, but your fantasy is a bunch of bullshit."

"Shut the hell up! Tsukishima is our kid." Shizuo lifted the informant onto his shoulder and got into the elevator, "we fucked. You had a kid. That means I should take fucking responsibility, but I honestly hate your attitude and your mouth." The elevator descended slowly as the blond glared at the reflection of Izaya's butt. "I hate your arrogant ass and I hate the fact that you treat everyone like scum. I hate having you come up with those stupid nicknames. I hate the fact you dodge every single thing I throw at you. I hate that you claim I raped you. I hate you, Izaya-kun."

"…" The small room filled with silence. The sound of the pulleys and cables moving the box room down filled the air.

"I suppose though…" Shizuo conceded, "that I do like how you treat and care for Tsukishima. Arrogant dick that you are, apparently something went right in that fucking head of yours." The informant was set down before being cornered in a corner. "I told you this once before and I'll say it again. We're doing this my way, your way just leaves us both miserable."

"I believe you said cold last time." Izaya stated.

"Shut it." He grabbed the informant's arm as the doors opened and dragged him along to the front door of the building. "We're going to find our son."

Izaya yanked his arm away and began to run off. "No, I'm going to find _my _son."

"!" The blond's battle-cry heard over the sounds of the city life around them. People turned to them a moment before scattering in fear, the informant merely continued to run.

~.~

Tsuki-chan…

Izaya leaped from one roof to another, knowing where this was going to lead him. He had to hurry with this. He didn't have much time. He'd lost the ex-bartender around the bay. That was fine by him. He didn't need that protozoan getting his feelings into the mess.

The daylight was nearing its end as he used a laundry line connecting two buildings. He slid down into the apartment window and navigated through the dark room, entering into the hallway only to exit the other side. Hands grasped at the brick of the building's wall as he left through another window. He looked across the good distance between him and his targeted building.

Hmm… He was uncertain of this distance. This was a good few feet more than he was used to… Then again, it was him who was taking the leap and Tsukishima was over there.

Izaya pushed his legs up to just under his hands and, without hesitation, sprung towards the other building. The wind brushed passed him, sending volts of cold through him. His coat fluttered around him as he hit the side of the building. He cursed as he found the building to be more sleek-sided. His fingers burned as he went sliding down a floor, only to latch onto a nearby balcony.

Good.

Ignoring the pain in his limbs, Izaya flipped himself onto the balcony and slid the door open. He proceeded cautiously into the room and took to the wall, watching the area intently for any signs of his humans. Now was not the time to be caught.

Slowly, he made it to the front door and checked the little viewer for people in the hallway. It was empty.

He exited quietly and headed down the hallway when he heard a screech. He turned to find a daymaid staring at him in horror. "That was… Mister Rain's room…"

"What?" Izaya asked, holding his arms open, "a famous singer can't invite an old friend in for some tea?"

"Mister Rain is Korean though…"

"Miss, are you implying that a Japanese man and a Korean man cannot be friends?" He put on his best look of anger and rounded on her, "I will have you know that Rain and I go way back. We had a run-in in Seoul and together drank through a bottle of vodka before he went to star in Ninja Assassin."

The woman, terrified, nodded hastily. "Yes. Yes, forgive me. I didn't mean any disrespect."

"I bet not, should I inform my dear friend to tell the hotel management of this?"

"NO!" The woman turned and gave him a quick, over the shoulder smile, "it is a pleasure to have your business in our hotel and we hope you continue to rely on us for your stays in Tokyo."

As the woman ran, Izaya smiled to himself. That had been amusing enough.

Getting back into gear, he entered the elevator and paused at the key slot for the penthouse. Oh, but this would be interesting. He glanced at the small sign above it.

**Anyone caught attempting to break and enter into another room will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. **

"Bring it on." He murmured, pulling out a small lock-picking kit.

~.~

_**A/N: I do believe that was the most reviews I have gotten for a single chapter of this story. It was extremely encouraging and I saw some reviewer names I haven't seen a good while. I suppose I should thank you. So therefore, my sincerest danke to:**_

_**Seliphra, Midnight-Kitsune11, Angel., Anonymous, Anonie, Anon, Anony, Yukirain, letters, Nostarya, [reviewer of no actual name] - Setton?, Taiyo, 21lillian21, Insane-Killer.X3, ForBiddeLoVe, Ranixe-cat, Kaaja, bleach-freak45, PikachuIzaya, and Shizaya25. Your reviews sent my ipod shouting "Mr. Simple." **_

_**My cat doesn't like that song… nor my college professor… But it was amusing as hell to hear. So thank you and please continue the reviewing awesome for it encouraged me to write this so much quicker than I was going to actually write. **_

_PLUS I WILL GIVE INTERNET COOKIES (or update another one of my fics immediately) IF SOMEONE CAN GUESS WHO STOLE TSUKI! XD_

_**I love humans…**_

_**They're so amusing.**_

_**Huh… kind of a long message…**_


	26. Chapter 26

DAMMIT!

This was just too much to take in. He couldn't comprehend the level of stupid STUPID **ANNOYING BASTARD! **There was no calming him. He was so mad. He wanted to throw something. He wanted to kill someone. He just wanted to grab that informant and pound him into the afterlife. Ugh! HE COULD NOT STAND IT!

Tsuki was their kid. That meant his and Izaya's. THAT MEANT THEY SHOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER TO FIND THEIR KID!

NOT RUNNING AWAY AND DECLARING OWNERSHIP! TSUKI WAS NOT A FREAKING PIECE OF PROPERTY!

Calm, Shizuo thought to himself. Calm down and think. He's a kid running around in the middle of Tokyo. He's unfamiliar with the terrain. Most likely, he's running around near a park or something.

Okay…

Down one road after another, he searched.

People laughed around him, going running, chatting, listening to music. Cars zipped passed him as he searched. The faces blurred from his view becoming grey figures as he hunted for his son.

"!"

People scattered as he yelled out for the child.

"!"

The streets emptied out a bit as he continued to yell, running as his panic set in again. His anger mounted as he ran through the streets, searching by fountains and the park and in alleys. Anywhere where their son could be, he looked. His mind fixated on just finding Tsuki. He just needed to _find _him.

"Shizuo." A voice sent him spiraling around only to find the last person he had expected.

Vorona.

That Russian cop, she was in Ikebukuro…

And she was handcuffing him.

"I should have guessed you would be smuggling Nakura out of Russia…"

He honestly hated cops… MORE than Izaya.

~.~

A red light flickered off in the hallway to the penthouse suite. A pair of golden doors slid apart to reveal a cautious mop of black hair, peaking out to search the landing. The coast was clear. He moved forward, pocketing his cellphone and the cable he had used to hack through the security for the floor. He moved swiftly through the hallway, darting back and forth between the cameras' sights in case someone got intelligent and went to check them.

Voices caught his attention as he neared the door. "You can take care of this?"

"Of course, this fascinates me like nothing else. A child born of two men!" That sounded like Shinra's…

The first voice continued, "ni-chan doesn't need this. He has enough to deal with and I thought I had made it clear what would happen to the child should Orihara come back."

"Kasuka…" The informant mouthed, his anger setting in.

_"NO!" Izaya reached out, but was still cut open from the procedure, his blood dripped to the ground as the underground, nameless doctor urged him to stop. Kasuka held the child by an arm and stared at it. _

_ "I had heard rumors…"_

_ "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Izaya shot out a hand, tossing his knife at the man, only to miss. _

_ "My brother doesn't know, does he?" Kasuka held the child properly, ignoring its crying. "If I killed it…"_

_ "HIM! FUCK YOU! GET OUT!"_

_ The doctor went for the child, but Kasuka's guards stopped him. The actor held the child and continued his stoic gaze, "just one slice…"_

_ "STO-_

_ "Drop the kid and get out," A barrel from nowhere, the voice that was speaking none other than Shiki. Kasuka froze. _

_ "I'll kill-"_

_ A cane whacked him a moment before the baby went into the air. It had felt like Izaya's life had been thrown. A lump formed in his chest, rising only to go into freefall with his child. _

_ That moment seemed to slow. The guards went for Shiki's companion, Shiki went for the baby, Kasuka ducked out of the line of fire. As the moment ended, Kasuka gave the informant a glance and then to the other two… then to the infant. "As long as it's alive, if it's near my brother, I'll kill it."_

It had taken a second visit from the actor's guards to get him out of Japan.

Time seemed so heavy as Izaya waited with bated breath for the duo to get away from the door area. He listened, watched their feet underneath the door, remained silent…

But it was so aggravating, the time chewed on his sanity.

"I will leave this to you, Shingen." Izaya finally heard, "I have a role to play in twenty minutes. Try not to leave too much of a mess for my help." The actor's feet approached and Izaya looked around hurriedly, trying to find a place to hide in a hallway with only a hotel door and an elevator.

~.~

_A/N: O^O How did you guys know! Selina was all "it's KASUKA!" and then Kairichin was all "WAS IT KASUKA!" Seriously though, internet cookies for you. –hands out- Oh, and let me know what you would like me to update. XD _

_Walker Erika amused me to no end too. You can borrow Tsuki, but no Junjou Romantica. He's too young!_

_Yukirain… how are you not my beta? Can I just send my next chapters to you and you can just put "**insert****more****here**" and "**more****detail****here**." Seriously… Let me know, because that sounds like an awesome idea. ;D_

_AS FOR THE REST OF YOU! REVIEW OR WONDER ABOUT WHAT SHIZU-CHAN WILL DO WITH VORONA AND **WILL****IZAYA****BE****CAUGHT****IN****THE****HALLWAY!****MUAHAHAHAHAHA~!**_


	27. Chapter 27

"Vorona." Shizuo stared at the woman a moment before narrowing his gaze, "let me go."

"No, both you and your so called 'wife' are under arrest for the murder of four men!"

"Like hell!" He broke apart the handcuffs and shoved the woman into the nearby wall, "leave me and Izaya alone!"

"NO!"

"Fine, then whatever happens is your fault!" Shizuo turned on his heels and ran, leaving the woman to her own devices. His fury swirled through him as he ran. He didn't know what he would have done if she had threatened Izaya. It had been just that close from him…

"Celty!" Shizuo rushed up to the dullahan as time dwindled down. The woman shook her head and typed quickly.

[I'm sorry Shizuo… I looked everywhere, but I didn't find Tsuki or Izaya.]

The van gang rolled up next to them and they shook their heads. "We didn't find anyone either. Wherever they went, they aren't on the streets."

"Dammit!" Shizuo punched the nearby wall of a building, the hard material breaking at his ire. Mocha eyes swam in a mixture of disappointment and fury. How dare that informant run off like this. Where was Tsuki? Why had he left Tsuki alone?

[Shizuo. This isn't your fault.]

Shizuo glanced at the message before turning on his heels. He began to walk off when Erika piped up, "NOOOOOOOOOOO! Shizu! You can't give up on your lover! IzaIza needs you! I can feel it!"

His fury fluxed, causing him to spin on his heels and shout, "YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT? I'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL FUCKING DAY FOR TSUKISHIMA AND IZAYA'S VANISHED! KNOWING HIM, I MIGHT NOT EVEN SEE MY OWN SON AGAIN! DON'T YOU DARE SAY I'VE GIVEN UP!"

Erika looked at him a moment before grinning. "Genius! I knew there was love between you and IzaIza. I knew." She bounced forward and pat him confidently, the others staring at her in a mixture of horror and panic.

"Erika! He's going to kill you!" Walker loudly whispered at her, trying to reach out for her without being seen.

"…" A low, animalistic growl came from the ex-bartender as Erika continued to pat him happily.

"It's nothing serious. Love conquers all! Especially boys love. It will fix all the trouble between you and IzaIza and then we can get some great kinky lemons. It'll be a lemon fiesta. A lemon fete. A lemony kind of future."

[Lemons?]

"Don't ask." Walker replied before again trying to reach out to save his otaku friend.

"Lemons huh…" Shizuo gave her a look before thinking hard for a moment.

"Yep! So many lemons that Tsuki will have siblings and then you can tell both your families about it and even if they don't accept your love it won't matter because you'll have one another-"

"Kasuka!" Shizuo nearly jumped in the air at the realization. It would make perfect sense! He had shown Tsuki his brother's movies.

"Kasuka?" Both the otaku duo frowned at the name.

"Thank you Erika!" Shizuo picked her up into a hug before dropping her and taking off running.

Celty shook her helmet before riding after him, stopping him a moment before he said something and hopped onto the bike. They took off quickly, leaving the van gang sitting there.

"Thank God. I thought you were a goner." Walker moved forward and went to hug Erika, but she pushed him away, grinning like a maniac.

"I helped Shizu… He owes me now… And he liked my lemon idea…" Her grin only grew, an aura of some sort forming around her, much to the horror of the others.

"Walker. Erika. We have our own job to do. We need to get going."

"Whatever you say, Dotachin!" Erika replied happily.

~.~

Blood flowed through his veins, weighing him down. His muscle, his bones; everything about Izaya's person was trying to go against him. He could feel the tingling of extreme agony going through his person at his current position. He dared to scarcely breathe. He couldn't be caught. That would ruin the whole purpose of this exercise.

Kasuka looked around the hallway with his usual demeanor, he walked forward and Izaya crawled in time to the movement. Thankfully it was a small hallway, but still… His movements rustled a bit, causing the informant to hold his breath. He felt like praying, that's how sensitive this was getting. He wasn't even the praying sort.

The elevator doors opened for him and the young actor got in, turning and looking at where Izaya had been only a few moments ago. The doors began to close and Izaya felt his foot slipping.

_NO! NO! NO! _

_ He couldn't! He had to stay up! _

His body gave in just as the doors shut. The informant winced in pain as he looked down, only to feel throbbing painfully. The pain traversed up his leg as he tried to stand. He tried to get himself to his feet again only to whine a bit incoherently. Tugging up the black material of his borrowed clothes, he caught sight of his ankle and winced, it was swelling, a bold mix of purple, blue, and red.

_Tsuki, Shinra's, airport. _He reminded himself. He had to get out of here.

He limped his way through the hallway and snaked through the hotel door (after all, why get locks for a hotel room that needs a key in the elevator to get to?). Slowly, he dropped to his knees and crawled. It wasn't as painful to his ankle if he crawled.

Posters littered the penthouse, the faces of Kasuka in his many films sending shivers down his spine. They were too realistic for his taste. It looked too much like the man hadn't left with the cutout in the room.

Izaya looked around the corner and sighed as he saw the little body laying on the couch in the other room. Tsuki was okay. He wasn't…

Was his hair blond now?

_Shizu-bastard. _Izaya thought, proceeding forward. _He was going to kill Shizuo. He was going to kill Shizuo and his brother for putting him through all this crap. Murder them and make it look like double suicide. _

"Izaya!"

Izaya's heart leapt up into his throat as he jumped. Looking up to meet the gas mask of none other than Shingen. Great, he had been caught by Vader. He moved to sit up and grinned, "the one and only. Hello again, Shingen. How long has it been?"

"Ages." The man replied, "what brings you here?"

"Work and pleasure." The informant replied, _I'm going to get my son and kill Kasuka Heiwajima. _"I came to pick up a body for Kasuka and was told that my client also dropped his cellphone on the floor."

"I haven't finished with the body yet." Shingen replied, as if talking about the weather. "When I'm done I'll leave it to you."

"My client is quite specific. She would like the body unharmed. It would ruin her research."

"I'll lend her my dissection journals if she needs the information so much."

Izaya looked around the room as if the walls had ears, "Namie is quite picky. She firmly had been looking into the welfare of this child for ages. It's her pet project, you could say."

Shingen shrugged, "She was too late. The boy's mine to carve up."

Izaya nodded, keeping his mask in place, "of course. Like any project of mine, I merely am here as a medium. This whole business with a young child has little interest to me. I only came because I heard that you were in the mess. That's interesting. It's not like you to be in Tokyo."

"I came for this project actually. A child born from Heiwajima Shizuo and another person of high intelligence."

_Ha, Kasuka couldn't admit that Shizuo and I did it. _

"It's fascinating. The child holds the same strength as Shizuo himself does, possibly more!"

Izaya clapped, "intriguing! It's truly something for the record books!"

Shingen nodded, turning. "It will be a great discovery to show to peers in my fiel-" The metal object came down on his neck quite suddenly, red staining the award as it was retracted from the man. Izaya stared down, breathing in and out calmly as he looked at the doctor. His hand holding the object dropped to the ground as he forced himself to overcome the pain in his leg to lunge for his son.

"Tsuki!" He wrapped his arms around his son and pulled him close. "Tsuki-chan~ I should never have trusted him. I should never have left you behind. You're mine. Only mine. No one can take you away from me anymore. We're leaving. We're leaving now."

The child in his arms opened his eyes and yawned widely, getting excited at the sight of his parent. "Vatti!"

"Moshi moshi, Tsuki-chan." Izaya nuzzled the child, "did someone miss me?"

"Only a whole lot!" Tsuki wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tight. "I thought I wasn't going to see you again."

"What?" Izaya forced himself to stay composed and laugh, "who would ever put this idea into your head? I would never leave my Tsukishima!"

"Good." Tsuki curled up against him and shuddered a bit, "I don't want to miss you anymore."

"That's fine by me." Izaya said, sighing a bit, "I'm not planning to be away from you anymore…"

"That's fine for me as well. You'll both die here." The cold metal barrel tapped the back of Izaya's head as Tsuki looked behind the informant to find his uncle standing there. "You dropped your cellphone on the floor in the hallway, Orihara. Don't worry; I crushed it before coming in here."

~.~

_**A/N: I just don't even know about this chapter… Reviews are very well received. I adore them. Hence why I'm updating this faster now, there is reviews spamming my email box and encouraging me. XD**_


	28. Chapter 28

"Uncle?" Tsuki frowned a moment before his face was pressed against his mother's chest. His frown hidden as his body was quickly pressed against the informant, successfully blocking anything important that the actor could possibly think of shooting.

"Kasuka. It's a little too much brotherly love if you ask me," red eyes met the gaze of the actor's, ignoring the gun pressed to his skull. "You can't mean to kill us both. Shizuo already knows. It's too late to kill us."

The safety was unlatched a moment before Kasuka shook his head, "you wouldn't tell him."

"Oh yes, actually." Izaya smirked up at him, "you see it's a simple thing. I go right up to his face and happily say, 'oh hello Shizu-chan. You're the father of the child growing in my tummy. Would you like to feel him kicking me in excitement to see the world?' See how easily that came out? It was just that easy when I told hi-" The gun pressed harder as the actor shut his eyes, perhaps trying to remain calm.

"You told Shizuo about that thing?"

"Thing? Who are you to call my Tsuki-chan a thing when you are incapable of showing physical emotions. Were you born for a vampire movie?"

"I don't believe you. You hid the birth from him. That was why your doctor friend didn't help deliver him-"

"Well, about that. Shinra was very busy for my client and so my client, feeling oh so remorseful, insisted on giving me a wonderful doctor to replace him. He was brilliant, I only have a little blemish on my stomach, but that's more from you threatening what's mine then from my delivering."

"I should have finished what I had been doing."

"Well and then Shizu-chan, don't get me started on his parenting talents. You saw Tsuki's hair! It's blond now! Shizu-chan and I are going to have one serious conversation about this. I might even write an angry letter! Wha-"

A blast went off and Izaya held Tsuki closer as his shoulder throbbed in agony. Kasuka aimed to his head again.

"Mommy?" Tsuki tried to look, but Izaya held him under him, keeping him from the gunpoint.

"Shhh, please, Tsuki-chan." Izaya looked over his shoulder as he stroked Tsuki's back, trying to comfort him. "You can't win this, Kasuka. Shizu-chan is just as crazy about Tsuki-chan as I am. He won't rest until he finds him-"

The man had gone insane over him being gone more than a day. Izaya could hardly comprehend that he was in fact out of Russia. That he was with Tsuki again. That he was holding his son in his arms again. To think that he had been saved in that frozen tundra by Shizuo…

"You killed him. I killed you."

"So simple~" Izaya rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't believe that even if I was stupid. That protozoan won't believe it for a minute."

"Will if I tell him that."

"Hmm…" Izaya frowned, "you may be right about that. He does have a habit of trusting you explicitly."

"Ja ne."

"Wait! I should get last words!"

Kasuka nodded, holding the gun as steady as ever, "hurry up."

Izaya looked down at Tsuki and chuckled, "didn't think this would happen."

"What's uncle Kasuka going to do?" Tsuki looked up at him frightened.

"Uncle Kasuka is going to do something very bad to mama." Izaya replied. He lowered his voice a bit, "Tsuki-chan, you have to listen very carefully, okay?"

The boy nodded, "okay."

"In a second here, I'm going to let you go. You are going to run-"

"Half minute." Kasuka interrupted.

Izaya leaned in until he was whispering almost silently into Tsuki's ear, "I'm going to jump Uncle Kasuka and you are going to run out of this room and enter a hallway with an elevator. Ride it down to the main floor, run as fast as you can out and keep going until you find Dad or Uncle Shinra. Do not stop for any reason other than someone Dad or I have introduced you to, okay?"

Tsuki nodded, "but what about you?"

"Tsuki, it's very important that you find Papa, okay?"

Those red eyes widened as he figured out the situation. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Of course, I'll never leave my Tsuki-chan."

"Then come-"

"Ten."

"Tsuki, be ready." Izaya moved away and unwrapped his arms from his child, turning despite his ankle and shoulder. He gazed up at the actor and smirked, "Good thing I borrowed clothes from Shizu-chan, otherwise I would be upset about all this blood. Then again, my coat is ruined…"

"One." Kasuka started to throw his aim at Tsuki when Izaya pounced.

"RUN TSUKI!"

"BUT-"

"RUN!" Izaya kicked the gun away and ignored the blood pouring out from his side. He threw a punch straight to the man's face. Kasuka grabbed him right at his wound and shoved him off, trying to grab his gun when Izaya landed a wounded leg kick to his face. Both men grunted at the pain.

"You can't win."

"I already did." Izaya laughed as he threw another punch to the man's face. He flicked out his switchblade and sliced the young actor right up his arm. The wood floors became red as they tussled. The switchblade was tossed into a wall as Kasuka knocked it forcefully from the informant's hand.

Kasuka grabbed the informant by a leg and kicked it, breaking it with an audible crack. The informant gasped a moment before gripping his earlier weapon, the award, and smashing it down on that actor's hand. The man shouted in agony and their struggle continued.

_Any other day, _Izaya thought, _and I could have taken him no problem. _

The young actor's eyes were crazed as he fought back. It was more violent than any battle he and Shizuo had had.

Kasuka threw his leg into the air, attempting a blow to the head, but leaving his own head unguarded. Izaya threw himself at the chance, striking at the man with his weapon. Another thump sounded through the room as Kasuka went slumping to the floor. The sound of adrenaline rushed through Izaya's veins as he stared at the man.

The silence continued a moment before Izaya started laughing. His voice rang through the room as he laughed and laughed, his chest and shoulder bleeding out still at their quick pace.

"How fun! How fun! To think I left over something this insignificant!" Izaya kicked the actor again and laughed harder only to begin coughing hard. "Damn… Laughed too hard, my chest hurts."

Come to think of it, he was somewhat tired as well. He leaned back and shut his eyes. Tsukishima was going to get Shizuo or Shinra. They were all looking for the kid and when they found him, Tsuki would tell them where he was and he would be fine.

No problem.

Nap time.

Izaya shut his eyes and relaxed onto the couch, kicking the old doctor's arms off onto the floor with the actor. The couch was his spot.

~.~

"TSUKI!" Shizuo couldn't believe his eyes as he saw the boy running across the street near Kasuka's. Celty turned her helmet only to shift her horse towards the child. They stopped just short and Shizuo leaped from the ride, wrapping his arms around his son. He looked down and felt immense relief run through him as Tsuki hugged him back.

"Dad!" Tsuki's face, bright with tears and worry was probably the best sight Shizuo had seen all day. Shizuo hugged him tight again and Tsuki cried into his chest. "Dad…"

"You are not allowed to run off ever again. You have no idea how worried your mom and I were when we got home and found out that you had run off."

"I didn't-"

"God, I thought I'd lost you." Shizuo held the young boy close and shook uncontrollably.

"…" Tsuki cried a bit harder and hugged him tight, burying his face into the ex-bartender's shirt, "I'm sorry. I sw-swear I d-didn't run a-away…"

The ex-bartender sighed. "It's fine. Let's just go home."

"Wait!"

Shizuo looked down at the boy, "what is it?"

"…I can't remember…" Tsuki shook his head before Shizuo picked him up.

"Let's get some food in you."

"Okay!" Tsuki hugged him tight and buried his face into the man's neck, still crying a bit as Shizuo began to walk them home.

"I think I'm forgetting something important, dad."

Shizuo shrugged, "It'll come to mind eventually. I have that same problem occasionally."

~,~

**_A/N: I have nothing to say. This chapter end was just a great sign that Tsuki and Shizuo are father and son. Review _or never know what happens next. **

**I need ten reviews to feed the plot bunnies, twenty gets the update up immediately. -hit by vending machine-**


	29. Chapter 29

Shizuo couldn't stop holding his son. Tsuki was okay. He was more than okay, he was absolutely perfect. He cuddled the child to his chest and walked alongside Celty's horse, heading to Russian Sushi.

The boy in his arms frowned though, shifting uncomfortably.

"That's really bothering you, isn't it?"

Those red eyes looked up at him and his head shook, "yeah, I think it was really important."

The ex-bartender looked over at Celty. "You have any idea what he could be thinking of?"

[Bathroom?]

Tsuki looked at the shadow-held cell and shook his head, "I don't need to go."

"Sushi! You buy sushi! No human in them. Human bad."

"Hey, Simon." Shizuo smirked a bit at him as he and Tsuki entered. The great black rider taking off to no doubt reunite with Shinra.

"Tsuki-kun!"

"Tsuki-chan!" Erika and Walker both waved at the duo. The other two looked up in midbite and waved them over.

They ordered, sitting down on the other side of the table a moment before Erika was spilling bowls on the table just to get a hug in, her chest making Tsuki blush profusely. "OH TSUKI-CHAN! You have no idea how badly we freaked out when we found out you were gone! How the heck did you get passed us all?"

"He's just like Light!" Walker laughed, "he had his shikigami get him passed us all."

"OH! THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!" Erika bounced in place as the others tried their best not to encourage the otaku duo.

"What kind of shikigami would Tsuki have though," Walker wondered aloud.

"Oh! It would be an IzaIza double!" Erika cried, "one who would be like the opposite personality of Tsuki and opposite interests than IzaIza! Can you imagine?"

"That would be pretty awesome."

"Oh! But Tsuki would have more than the master/servant relationship with it. It would be yaoi~!"

"ERIKA!" Walker grabbed her as Shizuo's eye twitched and the man choked on his food. Mocha colored eyes immediately aimed daggers at the duo and Walker dragged the yaoi-loving otaku out, "We forgot there's a convention going on uptown."

"There is?"

"Uh, yeah. Dotachin drive us!"

"I claim Dotachin is Germany again!"

"Yeah, come on Dotachin."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

The group left and Shizuo sighed. As if he needed more shit to think about. No, let's not have a nice, quiet dinner. Let's have a freaking stupid thought provoking conversation. God, just because he parents were… both men… doesn't mean that Tsuki will be… interested in men. Ugh, even thinking about the kid growing up…

_"Dad…" An older version of Tsuki came running up as Shizuo arrived at the informant's apartment. _

_ "Hey kid," Shizuo held his arms open when a woman walked out of the informant's apartment. _

_ "Yo."_

_ "Hey dad, this is Cloud. She's a part-time worker at a club here in Shinjuku!" The woman pulled a condom out of her shirt and looked at Tsuki a moment before shrugging and sticking it back in._

Shizuo shook his head, shuddering hard and looking down at the boy next to him. No, Tsuki wouldn't be interested in anyone like that. Besides, he was the son of the fortissimo of Ikebukuro. That type of people would be steering clear of him.

_"Dad!" Again an older version of Tsuki came walking in with a double of Izaya. "Hey dad, this is Roppi." _

_ The double looked over at him before pulling Tsuki to his room by the end of his scarf._

_ "Okay, well we're going to my room. Don't bother us."_

_ Shizuo stared after him before looking to Izaya. "How long has this been going on?"_

_ "About four months," the informant said dismissively, "as long as they aren't noisy, they can do whatever in there."_

_ "nngh… Roppi-chan…" A moan came out of the other room and Shizuo stood up, his eyes bugging out at the sound._

_ "They're masturbating!"_

_ "Shizu-chan, they are not masturbating." Izaya stared at him a moment before shifting his gaze to the computer screen again. A series of clicks of the mouse filled the room before Izaya finished his statement. "There's two of them in there. It's called sex."_

_ "!" _

Without realizing it, Shizuo found himself wrapping his arms around his son and pulling him into his arms.

"Dad… I haven't finished my ootoro."

"Tsuki, don't you dare grow up."

"Um… okay?"

Shizuo nuzzled the child close. He said he wouldn't grow up. Thank goodness, he couldn't take it. Tsuki would stay his little kid forever. That didn't sound bad at all. Perfect.

Now they only had to wait for Izaya…

Izaya…

Come to think of it, that louse hadn't been around. Where the hell was that guy? He hadn't seen the flea all day. Not since he had chased after the informant through Ikebukuro.

"Dammit."

"Hmm?" Tsuki looked up at him. That gaze swimming in confusion as he looked up at his father. Those little hands pressed against his chest, leaving him space to breathe. The boy stared at him and the only thing Shizuo could think was _those eyes… Those eyes were Izaya's eyes… _

"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit."

"What's wrong?"

"Damn flea…"

Tsuki blinked at him before his eyes widened in horror. The boy pushed away from him and backed to the wall, terrified. "You have fleas?"

"…" Shizuo stared at him a moment before laughing. His amusement scaring several costumers and sending a warning knife flying into the private room.

"Hey!" One of the employ called, "you're scaring costumers!"

"Gomen!" Shizuo hollered back before pulling a stubborn Tsuki back. "I don't have fleas. That's- that _was _my pet name for you mom."

"You called mom a flea?" The boy frowned.

"Every time that I saw him."

"Oh… OH NO!" Tsuki covered his mouth and his eyes watered. "Oh no… oh no oh no oh no… oh no oh no oh no oh no… no no no no no…"

"Hmm?" Shizuo pulled the boy back as Tsuki tried to take off towards the exit. "Hold on. We're eating. Whatever's wrong can wait. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Dad, I remembered what I forgot!" Tsuki waved his arms around, his red eyes dripping as he tried to get away.

"Come here." Shizuo pulled into his lap and wiped at his eyes, "nothing could be so dire that it has you crying because you forgot."

"N-"

"Shush. We're finishing dinner." Shizuo stuffed another piece of ootoro into the boy's mouth and the kid swallowed it before blocking the next piece and crying harder.

"Mom. Mom is hurt."

…

"WHAT?" Shizuo stared at him in shock, dropping his chopsticks to the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Tsuki cried, burying his face into his father's chest. "I was so busy running and trying to get away and then you came along and were so angry that I felt so bad and then and then," his voice hitched as he started to hiccup.

Shizuo stared at him a split second before standing up, slamming money down on the table. "Where?"

"At un-un-uncle Ka-s-s-su-k-ka's house…"

Shizuo gripped the boy's hand tight and fled from the sushi place, not seeing the blonde sitting nearby, whom had been listening the entire time.

Vorona watched the duo leave and smirked a little, her visage clearly showing signs of frustration, ire, and careful consideration. Yen was placed where her food sat, untouched as her heels clicked softly on the flooring, the door opening and closing behind her.

~.~

_**A/N: Wow! I was listening to my ipod beep all night with reviews. I was like, "I LOVE YOU HUMANS TOO~! ^o^/ **_

_**It was beautiful. I loved the reviews. Yes, yes, I was absolutely cruel. I wasn't much better for this chapter either. So mean. Will Shizuo be able to save Izaya? What about Kasuka? Shingen? What's Vorona planning? Why do I torture you all? **_

_**Yukirain~ I swear, your reviews cause me endless enjoyment! :D I read them and think "yes! Little better this time. Let's do it again!" **_

_**All the reviews are delightful. I'm doing the same situation for this chapter. Twenty for immediate update! Otherwise… -hit by vending machine again- **_


	30. Chapter 30

Blood loss is a strange and foreign escapade to be in.

It wasn't a normal choice. It wasn't something you woke up one morning and decide 'oh hey, blood loss sounds awesome.' It was something that was normally done by others. It was that feeling of weightlessness. It was painless with the right amount and type of drugs. It felt like something was missing. Like someone had taken your insides and rearranged them, but they forgot the manual to your organs and stuck them every which way.

Izaya awakened to find himself in a hazy room. His sight was unfocused, making the surrounding look as if his eyes were watery. He attempted to move only to fall back and open his mouth in wordless pain.

His sightless red eyes stared at the ceiling as he tried to bring himself back to the world. Parts of his body throbbed in agony as he lay there.

"You idiot." A dark shape showed itself in his vision and Izaya tried to smirk, most likely failing.

"Shi-ingen…" His voice cracked as his throat even throbbed. Speaking was a terrible idea.

"You both are fools and cost me a valuable dissection experience." A strange breathing sound came from probably the man's gas mask before he continued, "I'm guessing the child is yours and Heiwajima's."

_Inhale. Exhale. Gather saliva. Swallow. _Pain made itself known as Izaya instructed himself, _okay. _"Whatever gave you that idea?" _Painful and a pathetic attempt at wittiness, _Izaya thought, _overall the worst acting since Kasuka's last movie. _

Shingen's blurry figure got closer a moment before Izaya felt himself suddenly come back to. He blinked back more dreariness and tried to look around, his body too exhausted to focus. The man was gone.

Where had he gone? _I must have passed out. _

That meant that more time had passed.

More time meant something had happened to Tsuki.

_Kasuka's bodyguards… _No, Tsuki was a good kid, but he had a temper. He'd seen it whenever the tot had asked about Shizuo. If those men had tried anything…

_They had captured him once._

Then again they had had Kasuka, and it didn't sound like Tsuki had known he was bad. Besides, he had given Tsuki specific instructions, no going with strangers. No talking to them either because they could be monsters.

_Maybe Tsuki forgot about him…_

That sounded like him.

Forgot where his socks were, misplaced his art supplies before he had that messenger bag. Truly, if his feet weren't attached, he'd probably lose them too. That sounded exactly like him. Pure, naïve, forgetful Tsukishima.

Izaya coughed as he stared at the ceiling, it's luminance coming into and out of focus as if he were under the intoxication of a potent medicine.

Shizuo would find him, assuming that Tsuki-chan got lost.

Shizuo…

The informant's laugh came out as a wheeze. His chest bleeding out again at a quicker pace, though there wasn't much blood left in him.

_Get raped, have kid, get threatened by the rapist's brother, leave, come back, get kidnapped, saved by rapist, fight for son's life…_

Then have whatever the hell this was happen.

_"Having a kid changes people," the underground nameless doctor had said, "adoption is available for-"_

_ Izaya wouldn't hear of it, "I want my custom-made human if I have to pry him from my insides myself."_

_ Even if the kid was also Shizuo's. Even if he had to indebt himself to his most shady client, Shiki, just so he could be safe until the birth. Even if he had to fight every other person, recluse himself for several months._

Tsuki had been born though. He was alive.

Izaya didn't need Shizuo. If those nine months alone with his mind and his hormones running haywire had proven anything to him, it was that he didn't need the brute. He wasn't like those pregnant women or a part of one of those loving couples. The only thing he needed was himself.

And yet…

_"Let me in… give in…" _

The room was getting darker as he lay there staring at that ceiling. Nothing changed, of course, that was just an illusion. An amusing red herring came to mind as Izaya briefly wondered where in the world he had put that chess board of his.

He hadn't truly messed with his humans like he had used to in a long time…

~.~

"Dun dududun dun dudun dun dudun~" Tsuki hummed as the elevator ascended and Shizuo stood next to Shinra and Celty.

"Shinra, what the hell is he listening to?" Shizuo just wanted- needed a distraction. Yelling at Shinra sounded good.

"Umm… Stars Wars, I would guess…" Shinra shrugged. "I tend to be fixing up you or Izaya with most my spare time."

"He's listening to what?"'

"It's a movie."

[…This thing is slow.]

"I know," Shinra cried, "it's like this machine knows that we were going to go out to dinner! How dare it! Finally, I get some free time to spend with my wifey~ and this thing is st- AH," Shinra choked on his words as Celty hit him in the stomach.

[Shinra, you're acting weird again.]

The good doctor wheezed before rubbing his stomach, "sorry, you bring out the weirdness in me… but that's a good thing!"

Shizuo could practically feel his mind slamming against the elevator walls, dying from the wait. He could hardly think straight since Tsuki had admitted he'd forgotten. It was just something so… ugh, he definitely was Tsukishima's father.

Countless times he'd forgotten things, usually having Kasuka bring them to him or buy him clothes…

Tsuki pulled the red headphones from his ears and frowned, "…I miss vatti…"

"Don't worry, Tsuki-san!" Shinra turned and bent down, "even if I can't save him and he dies, Shizuo will look after yo- OH!" The man fell over as the boy stared to cry.

[Izaya will be fine. I bet he's missing you just as much as you miss him upstairs.|

"Dammit, Shinra! Don't piss me off by making Tsuki cry!" Shizuo cracked his knuckles as the brunet went scampering behind the black rider.

"Oh wifeu~ you are the only one who can comfort in this small prison~"

Shizuo could feel that headache of his triple as he saw the little blond start crying silently, wiping his eyes as he hid his face in his scarf. It was like having someone drive a stake through him. It pissed him off so much.

The room became more and more tense with each floor passed. Tsuki's part of the elevator more and more depressing as he cried, Shizuo's part of the elevator giving off ultraviolet rays of anger, while Shinra and Celty stood off to the side, trying not to be the fallout in the catastrophe.

Sniffles were the only thing heard as they went higher.

"…"

"…"

"…snnt…"

"…."

"…"

"…"

"…snnt…snnt…"

"…"

Celty went over and wrapped her arms around the child, hugging him.

"Celty~ you are such a good mother!"

Shizuo growled loudly and both Shinra and Celty froze.

"Uh… Shizuo?"

"Tsuki, come here." Shizuo held his arms open and Tsuki extracted himself from the dullahan's arms only to go jump into his father's. The two held onto each other as they watched the numbers above the door ticker up to the penthouse.

"…"

"…"

"…snnnt… Dad?"

"Hmm."

Tsuki hugged him tightly, "it's my fault that mom is hurt."

Shizuo hugged the kid a little tighter. "That's the worst logic I've heard in my entire life. It's mom's fault for breaking into uncle Kasuka's home."

"But Uncle Kasuka tried to shoot me too…" The boy's face sneaked under his scarf and Shizuo nuzzled the kid's face, trying to calm down.

"I'll talk to him. He probably thought you were one of mom's toys."

"Mom doesn't have toys, he has humans."

Resisting the urge to continue this argument, Shizuo nodded, "I should have known better."

"It's okay. Mom and I know you're a protozoan."

"…"

"…"

[I can never decide whether he's more like Izaya or you, Shizuo…]

"Just stop talking about Izaya for five minutes." Shizuo growled, trying not to lose his temper. Tsuki cuddled closer to his neck and sobbed harder.

So so angry. Shizuo couldn't take it. This damn stupid room couldn't move fast enough. Why the hell did rich people have to stay in those stupid apartments on the top of buildings. They couldn't just get a nice room on the second or third floor? Was it so difficult to realize that not everyone lived in the clouds their whole life?

A bell chimed as they reached the second to top floor and Shizuo inserted his spare key to his brother's room. The elevator doors shut again just before it began to make the final few seconds of travel to the room.

The doors opened, revealing a tranquil little hallway. Nothing out of the ordinar- God, what the hell was that smell? Shizuo covered his nose as Tsuki's eyes widened.

"It smells like dead people."

The three adults looked at the small boy a moment before Shizuo set him down and went sprinting for the door on the other end of the hallway. His mind going blank as he ran, his heart smashing against his ribcage.

"Shizuo! WAIT UP!" Shinra ran behind him as Celty picked Tsuki up and created a small mask out of her shadows for him. The boy buried his face against the dullahan and started to cry again.

~.~

_**A/N: Oh noes! Izaya! Shizuo! Lol, Tsuki is probably so traumatized from this whole thing. I love updating and reading all the reviews. I think I'll continue this quick update bonanza if the reviews keep flooding in like this (aka torturing is FUN!). **_

_**The number is 20 for the immediate updates. XD **_


	31. Chapter 31

The first thing noticed was the smell. That scent that coursed throughout the small apartment-like hotel room as Shizuo and Shinra entered. It sent the urge to vomit into the two as they moved through the place, trying to locate the source.

Then they saw the fight area.

Tables were toppled over. Lamps were in pieces, leaving shattered glass in their wake. Furniture was in disarray. The cotton stuffing for couches on the ground, strewn about. Rugs were wrinkled, from feet having been trying to claim ground. Paintings that had hung on the walls were broken, their frames busted and artwork punched through.

Shinra whistled, "it's been a while since I've seen this kind of thing."

Shizuo couldn't respond, his attention was focused on the blood.

That crimson fluid was drizzled over the entirety of the room. It tinted the cotton stuffing pink, it glistened off glass, it stained fabric. That was overlookable, but the small puddles and streaks that ran across the wood floors…

"Oh…Found them." Shinra dropped to his knees on the other side of the couch, just out of Shizuo's sight; the sound of his bag opening as he went to work.

He knew he was going to have to look, but he didn't know what he was going to do. It was his brother's apartment. It was his son's mother on the other side of the sofa. Slowly, hesitantly, Shizuo inched forward, his eyes trying to deny anything he could possibly see on the other side of the couch.

When he saw, he didn't like it.

Izaya lay in a heap. His head turned as his chest almost didn't move at all. His shoulder and chest were red, somewhat hidden under his trademark coat. His leg dangled haphazardly off the edge of the seat. It was broken. The informant's eyes were shut, leaving the ex-bartender to wonder if the man was in a coma or dead.

Shinra wasn't even looking at him though. The doctor was focusing on Kasuka.

Shizuo saw a long dark slice up the actor's arm, his head bleeding a bit from what looked like one nasty head wound. Bruises were obvious from his chest, but other than that…

Kasuka was okay.

That didn't make sense though. Izaya wasn't one to be taken down so easily. The man was highly agile and an expert at parkour. What the hell was this?

Shizuo subconsciously started to shake his head, looking between his brother and Izaya. It was impossible. He had spent years chasing Izaya, years trying to kill him any way he could.

If he couldn't do it, Kasuka shouldn't have been able to.

"Alright," Shinra wrapped some gauze and disinfected the head wound before turning to treat the informant. The man's spectacled gaze drifting up to freeze on Shizuo. "You okay?"

"It's not possible…"

Pushing his glasses back up, Shinra waved at him, shooing him away. "Shizuo, you're in shock. Go take care of Tsukishima."

"Kasuka couldn't have… It's just…"

The doctor sighed exhaustedly, his hands going to work at pulling the informant's coat off him and tossing it straight into the distracted blond's face. "Leave! You can't do anything here."

He was immobile though. Shizuo couldn't have left that spot if his life depended on it. There was too many questions going through his mind. How had Kasuka beaten Izaya? Why?

It pissed him off so badly just thinking about it.

"Oh boy," Shinra shook his head and pulled out tweezers, beginning to reach into the shoulder wound. "You just had to take some lead, didn't you Izaya? This is what happens to trolls."

"Dad?" Shizuo's gaze flickered back to Tsuki, who was perched in the dullahan's arms. "Is mom okay?"

"…" Shizuo couldn't speak.

"…Dad?" Tsuki eyes watered yet again as the dullahan typed frantically, trying to calm him down.

It just didn't seem so simple anymore.

"Shizuo!" Shinra glared up at him as the man's gaze returned, "the kid needs someone to tell him everything is okay. He'll be traumatized if you don't… and stop staring like that. You're scaring me with that face." The doctor tossed a bullet onto the floor and focused back in.

"Is he…" He could hardly speak still.

"Izaya's lost a lot of blood and he's got multiple shots in him. I'm going to have to move him out of here in a minute, but I need Celty and she can't leave Tsuki alone."

"Kasuka…"

"He's fine, besides what's going to be a serious migraine in the morning."

Shizuo felt something wrap around his waist a moment before the floor moved from under him. Celty pulled him over to the front door and set Tsuki in his arms, typing again before stuffing the phone into his hands.

[Shinra knows what he's doing. Izaya will be okay.]

"Celty~ I need to get him home immediately. He's going to need surgery done on this leg."

"…nngh…"

Shizuo's head shot around as he heard the grunt from the other room. His feet propelled him to the living area and its wreckage. His gaze drifting immediately to his brother, of whom was sitting up. "Kasuka!"

"…"

Shizuo stared at the actor as slowly, the man looked over at him, noticing the kid in his hands.

"…you know about him."

"Hmm?" Shizuo looked down only to find Tsuki practically trying to climb underneath his vest. "Tsukishima?"

"Don't let him see us." Tsuki murmured, trying to hide, "he's got a gun. He'll…" The boy paused as he caught sight of Izaya. "…mommy?"

Shizuo covered the kid's eyes and looked over at his brother. "what about Tsuki?"

"…" Kasuka looked at them both before going pale. He held onto his head and leaned back against the other couch, averting his gaze.

"What the hell happened, Kasuka?"

"…"

Shizuo growled before glaring at the actor. "What did you do?"

"…I don't expect to be forgiven…" Kasuka murmured, shutting his eyes and pulling out his phone. His fingers skipped along the keyboard before he glanced over at Shinra and Celty. "He went easy…"

Shinra nodded.

"Need me to call for help?"

The doctor shook his head, "Celty and I will get him out, but you've made quite an impression on your nephew."

"I thought…" The actor fell silent and shook his head, leaning back.

Shizuo gripped both Tsuki's hands before walking over and sitting down next to the actor, forcing Tsuki to sit down on his lap. He looked Tsuki in the face and sighed, "Tsukishima, this is your uncle Kasuk-"

"He shot mom." Tsuki made a dive motion for the other couch before the grip on his hands forced him to remain in place.

"Tsuki, listen."

The boy looked at him and Shizuo took a moment before continuing, "This is your uncle Kasuka, and like me, he has made very bad mistakes."

~.~

_**A/N: …I suppose I asked for it, but seriously… ouch. If you don't like, please don't tell me. I guess I understand since I normally hate mpreg too, but man… I tried. **_

_**Anyway, thanks for the reviews. My review begging is soothed, but I loved seeing them. Thanks peeps, it made my hard workdays easier. If you want to continue reviewing, I would feel highly encouraged to actually update again quickly. No pressure, I don't need downing. **_


	32. Chapter 32

"Celty, make sure to keep his shoulders flat, the wound is starting to bleed out again." Shinra and Celty carried the informant out of the room and headed towards the front door. Their movements slow to try and keep the brunet from further injury.

Shizuo's statement did nothing to stop the young child. Tsuki squirmed in place as Kasuka looked at him blankly. "He shot mom…"

"I've done worse…" Both Tsuki and Kasuka were staring at him before Tsuki stopped moving, going limp in his arms.

"…Y-y-you hurt…" Tsukishima's eyes widened in horror at the blond's confession before he gave one big push at the man. His arms reaching out for leverage to pull himself away.

At a loss of words, the ex-bartender let him go. He wanted to take back what he had said, pull his son back and somehow stop everything from coming to this. His powerless state left him in a great need for a cigarette. He sighed, leaning back and feeling useless.

"…I'm sorry, Tsuki." Kasuka looked over at the boy as he backed away slowly.

"…"

The room was getting so tense. It felt like his whole body was weighed down by so much that Shizuo couldn't move anymore. His back, his arms, his head just all throbbed in a pain that wasn't real. Wasn't physically real, he…

He couldn't do this…

Tsuki turned on his heels and sprinted after Shinra and Celty, slamming the front door shut behind him. His scarf lay on the floor of the apartment as Shizuo stared after him. His mind replaying everything over and over.

_He was a monster. _

_ He couldn't protect anyone, not Izaya or Tsuki…_

_ The one person he'd thought was looking out for his best interests, his brother, had tried to kill them._

Said brother stood up, limping his way to the other room while those thoughts tortured Shizuo. The sound of a door opening and closing were heard over the silence before Shizuo found himself looking at a bottle of milk.

"…"

"I'm not thirsty."

Kasuka set it down and sat in front of him, "you give up too easily to be my brother..."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"…" Kasuka picked up the oversized scarf, staring at it a moment before setting it onto Shizuo's lap. "You give up to fast."

_**~.~**_

_**A/N: Anonymous-san~ I promise I was not referring to you! The stupid hate private messages I get on here are bothering me (although if you would be so kind as to be more specific as to where I could improve…or maybe read a different one of my fics… since you hate mpreg… just a thought). I find every review to be important! EVERY SINGLE ONE! Well… except that one guy… -slapped by one guy- Okay! OKAY! I was kidding about the one guy thing!**_

_**It's a short chapter, I confess. My computer has caught a virus so I'm typing this little bit out as a teaser. I just don't feel motivated enough to sit and type on the enormous keyboard in the living room (it's intimidatingly large …). I will if you all really want me to though (aka, I still love hearing my ipod go off all the time with review alerts)! **_


	33. Chapter 33

"Shiki, don't you think this has gone far enough?" The red-haired man looked over at the man and sighed, "I think we can safely say that the process was a success."

Shiki turned his head away from the chaos of the other building and nodded, "we most likely should tell Heiwajima the truth of everything, but that informant is a bad influence on me. Why tell him when we can sit back and let the pieces fall where they may."

Akabayashi laughed, his head shaking. "You've deceived them both."

"It's rather shocking that Orihara has not realized what happened," Shiki murmured.

"So are you considering the temporary pregnancy device as well?"

"I will need an heir eventually, however for now I have no intention of getting such a thing. I do not need a small child roaming about my business."

"I have to know why you chose Heiwajima." The man leaned forward and smirked, "don't you think that was slightly cruel? Orihara hates hi-"

"I thought we went through this." Shiki set his teacup on the table and looked at him drolly, "I didn't choose him. I merely had my men plant the temporary organ in Orihara, mess with the informant's hormones, and send him on his way home. I had no interest in who his partner for the evening would be, as long as it was another male… We had to know the side effects..."

"Destroying your best informant-"

"He was close to being caught. If Kasuka Heiwajima happened to overhear and tred upon the informant, getting him out of sight, throwing the opposition off Orihara's scent… besides, if my information is correct, he did eventually get caught. I have had to rely on less trustable sources for things of important nature."

"Since when do you take such care into your employees?"

"I run a gallery, that is all." The brunette watched the young blond run over to a van, getting in before a white lab coated man. The vehicle sped down the road, turning and vanishing from sight.

"and I happen to be interested in women, tell me another story, Shiki-san."

~.~

Izaya felt like stone.

He felt like someone had taken him and filled him with lead. His body felt so heavy, so numb; it felt like he was trapped.

This was below him. He forced himself to try to move.

Toes.

No response.

Legs.

Nothing.

Fingers...

"…I…mom awake…" His hearing sounded immersed under water. That sounded like… someone familiar. It wasn't Mairu. She was too obnoxiously loud. It couldn't be Kururi. It sounded male. Little though…

A child.

Tsuki.

Ah, how interesting…

_"Orihara?" _Izaya ignored the voices above him as his memory called out to him.

_"Ah, Shiki!" His voice denied his previous state, asleep for whatever reason on the man's couch._

_"You seem… bothered." The man stared at him calculatingly and Izaya laughed, ignoring his sudden and unnatural need to grind against anything he could reach. _

_"Whatever would give you that idea?" The informant turned, "you kept me waiting too long, Shiki. I'm afraid it has gotten late and I must be returning to previous engagements."_

_"Fine, I will send you the information request by our usual standard."_

_Izaya raised a hand in farewell, "ja ne!" _

_Shutting the door, Izaya began to sprint, feeling more and more aroused by the minute. The friction of his legs and his clothing killing off his instincts, his sanity. He moved as fast as he could through Ikebukuro. His mind falling deeper and deeper into a haze. _

_Shiki had drugged him. _

_What a rude gesture! He would be sure to ignore the man's plea for information next time, instead telling him false intel… or perhaps he would play with the man's would-be lover, Akayabashi. That would certainly mess with him._

_"!" The name and the tone of that voice send the blood in Izaya's body flowing straight downwards, to a region it knew it did not belong. Izaya looked over his shoulder and dodged the initial object thrown at him, jumping to a fire escape and smirking._

_"Shizu-chan!"_

_His blood on fire, Izaya had watched the blond yelling and had let his hormones take control, contenting himself to prepare for testing the monster. He didn't know Heiwajima's sexual orientation after all. How interesting it would be to fuck him and throw the moment into his face for months, maybe even years to come. _

_Oh, but a good couple times would be highly amusing._

_He led the brute home, letting him have physical control, letting him dominate. Patience…_

"Mom?" A hand poked at him before another voice appeared above.

"Let your mom sleep, Tsuki."

"He's been asleep for a week though."

"Why don't you call Shizuo-"

"I… c-can't…" Sniffling entered the informant's hearing, "he said he'd hurt mom worse than uncle Kasuka did and uncle Kasuka…"

Tapping sounded through the room quietly as the boy cried.

"Celty is right. Let's get you to bed then… It's getting late."

_Pregnant. _

_Izaya stared at the computer screen and laughed, he laughed and laughed until his ire fled before his thinking. So Shiki was using him for a child. _

_How interesting. _

_Brilliant even. It would be simpler to have someone of his intellect taking over for him when he was too old for the business. He looked out the window and thought back to the few weeks ago. Having had a few gangs after him, he had decided to keep low, staying away from his beloved Ikebukuro._

_Hmm…_

_This made the game so much more interesting though. If Shizuo thought that that night he had done something inhuman… Raped him, perhaps…_

_The informant's laughter rang out through the apartment before he began to spin in his chair, "Ah, my sweet love-child, Shiki actually believes he will get you when you are freed from my belly and your father has no idea you exist. How fascinating! Shall we mess with them both? Lead the good yakusa along on a little leash while making you're father wonder where I went?" He listened to the silence of his apartment before laughing again. "I agree, let's play with our humans."_

_~.~_

A/N: Okay, plot and character work, gotcha! THAT IS HOW TO CRITIQUE A PERSON! –high fives anonymous-san and yukirain-

_**Yes! WE FINALLY GOT THE WHOLE PAST TOGETHER! Kind of… **_

…_**keyboard, why so obnoxiously large… you make my hands so small… and where are your Japanese kanji? –feels so wronged here- **_

_**Anyway, reviews are greatly accepted and more than likely the reason I wrote today. Gotta bounce!**_


	34. Chapter 34

_It's like the rolling of a dice._

_ It was thrown with the hopes of a number, the person hoping against hope._

_ Then the die landed, unbeknownst that the game was rigged from the start._

_ The curtains closed, the gambler lost. _

_ The dealer closed his table after another night of embezzlement. _

_ Why did one need the truth, when the lies lay so nicely in everyone's heart? _

_ When did the truth become so important?_

_ When did the dealer grasp remorse, pain…_

_ A love for his victims…_

~.~

Enemies.

Lovers.

Hate.

Love.

The words would revolve around the ex-bartender's mind, a whirlpool of feelings coursing through him. Kasuka sat nearby as usual. No, they had not left that apartment. Kasuka for once had taken time out of his work. His fans frantically looking for him while his girlfriend stopped in from time to time to deliver groceries and things for them. Ruri peeked around the corner, being held back by Kasuka.

"I just want to see him!"

"He's… out of it right now… Please understand…"

She looked up at him and smiled, "okay, fine. For now, but he should get up. Doesn't he have a chil-"

Kasuka covered her mouth and motioned to the other room, pulling her away.

The white swirls of the ceiling design entertained those mocha orbs as his hearing traversed the room to eavesdrop into the conversation.

"What about his son?"

"…He did some bad things to his lover, before his son, but… I don't think he's ready yet to face them."

"You are so caring Yuuhei, but speaking as a woman, he needs to get up and go to them. It doesn't matter what he's done. No matter what has happened, he should return to them. He feels remorse. He loves them. If his current state is any indication, no matter what he's done; he needs to voice his feelings. Otherwise, he's going to be going in a circle again and again until something really bad happens…"

"…"

"And there you go being silent. Here I was all excited over you talking more. Oh well~ we can talk later. You beat some sense into that brother of yours. Call me when he's gone, kay?"

_I said that I was tired of hearing that I raped him. _Shizuo yelled into his own mind. Glaring at the white above. _I am tired of waiting for everything to be okay. I'm sick of seeing myself as a monster. _

He shut his eyes, holding the white scarf to his chest. His mind flickered to its owner, to the stuttering kid miles away.

_I did that. I created him… with Izaya…_

_ I took care of him for a while…_

_ As long as I knew him…_

_ I didn't do so bad…_

**Monster… **

** Maybe not now, but soon enough… **

** You destroyed his trust in you.**

** He was almost killed…**

** And so was Izaya…**

** But that was what you wanted?**

_No._ Shizuo rolled inward, hiding his face into the couch. _That wasn't what he wanted. Not anymore. He only wanted peace. _

_ Peace was all he had ever wanted. _

**Violence though… **

** It is always there…**

_He didn't need violence though, he had the choice to avoid violence. He would avoid Izaya and Tsukishima, just as Izaya had said from the start, he would return to his broken home, live out his days…_

**And what? Grow old?**

** Get gray hair?**

** Gain fat?**

** Where is the monster I have always known? **

** Where is the brute that chased an informant through Ikebukuro? The monster that stopped Saika's minions and possibly Saika his/herself? **He never did find out the end of that mess…

**Where is the man that was worth mention? Worth being visible?**

_Dead, _Shizuo bellowed at the voice in his mind, the voice that sounded eerily like Izaya's. _He's finally been killed. _

**Pathetic…**

_Just leave me alone. Who the hell needs you talking anyway, shut the fuck up and get the hell out of my head before I kill you._

**Oh? Kill? **

** What an interesting term for someone who is claiming that he only wants peace…**

_Leave._

"Shizuo…" Kasuka's voice came from above him, but was lost to the blond's mind.

**Isn't it interesting… A man getting pregnant? Aren't only women supposed to do that? **

** Don't you find it interesting that Shinra knew nothing about Tsukishima?**

_God, you are such a fucking annoying conscience…_

**Sticks and stones…**

**I would focus though. There is something wrong with this picture, peasant.**

Shizuo opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing his head to stop the mounting migraine.

His brother sat reading a magazine nearby, looking up at the sudden movement.

"…How did Izaya get pregnant?"

"…A client."

"Hmm?" Shizuo looked up at his brother.

The actor sighed, putting the magazine aside and lacing his fingers together, his blank face releasing a small sigh. "A man was discussing with Izaya at a private room in Russian Sushi over a baby being born soon. Izaya said it was yours and that he was excited over your reaction…"

"My reaction?"

"…tears…"

Shizuo stared at his brother for a long time as the actor remained still, giving no evidence of life. "…so that's why you were going to kill him."

"…"

Shizuo remained silent a moment longer before rubbing his face in aggravation, feeling the whiskers scraping against his hand. He needed to shave among other things. His gaze flew to the city outside, the buildings in the distance, towards where he knew Izaya and Tsuki would be. "…what the hell do I do, Kasuka…"

Izaya had never been trustable. Hell if his past with the informant was a sign, he should have drove the informant's knife straight through his black heart and personally thanked that cop for tipping him off about his whereabouts.

Maybe taken her to his room…

No…

Not even if he had had Tsuki with Izaya would he have done that. It felt wrong to even consider such a thing. It felt wrong to think of Izaya hurt. His mind was branded with the image of what his brother had done to the informant. The wounds that Shizuo wished he could rip off the man, the bruises he longed to be able to wash away like filth. He didn't want to have their lives be like this anymore.

**Ne, and what do you want?**

_…_

He wasn't quite…sure… He didn't want to be away from them anymore. It felt wrong to see the sunrise without Izaya drooling onto his shoulder, without Tsuki nearby. Something felt dead without them, like he was cut from a lifeline, drifting out at sea alone in the dark.

He was tired of the waves of guilt and his resolutions being unfulfilled. He had said he was going to keep Izaya and Tsuki with him. He had gotten Izaya to stay with him… to trust him, even if only for a moment of passion.

**You think you can protect them? Care? **

Shizuo stood up abruptly, not saying a word as he walked out of the room and down the elevator. He stared at his shabby reflection in the mirror. Ignoring the urge to stop and clean himself up first.

His feet carried him out the front doors of the building, ignoring the stares and whispers of the staff and guests. His determination overrode everything, he was just done with thinking. His thoughts only led him to more and more trouble.

Never had his over-thinking helped him.

So he would just not think about it.

He was going to be spontaneous.

His feet led him to his son, standing at the front doors of the apartment complex of Shinra. His hands still held the scarf in them. His eyes grew somber as they saw the boy shaking, a broken lamppost in his hands.

He didn't see Izaya though…

Where was he?

Why was Tsuki all alone?

…

Shizuo walked all the way up to the boy from behind without thought. His arms wrapping around the child before the kid could grasp what was happening. Shizuo pulled him close and leaned his head against the blond hair, just content holding him close once more.

"…D-dad…" Tsuki looked up at him as Celty leaned back against the building, the tension of trying to stop a rampaging five year old with monstrous strength leaving as she watched Shizuo hug him.

Shizuo kept his hold on the boy and spoke without thinking, without listening to himself. The words flew from his mouth as he allowed himself to be human, to have a weakness and take the risk of being the end of one of Izaya's tricks. "If hugs make the monsters go away Tsuki, you have cured me of mine."

Red eyes looked over a shoulder at him before softening, brimming with tears that were quickly wiped away, "please don't hurt mom anymore…"

"Never again," Shizuo growled solemnly, looking determinedly at his son.

Tsuki dropped the lamppost and turned, wrapping his little arms around the ex-bartender before scrunching his face, "y-your face is h-hairy…"

~,~

A/N: I know! Way to update days later! What the heck have you been doing? …roleplaying Tsugaru in a chatroom and working? Ah, what a wise idea! I don't know quite how I feel about this chapter though. I'm hoping to see everyone's opinion of the reunion of Tsuki and Shizuo…

And see how everyone took the inner dialogue between Shizuo and… well, if you can't figure it out then I'm not telling. XD

Review, my humans. I do enjoy constructive critics and praise.


	35. Chapter 35

_Kasuka paused as he heard mumbling on the way back from the bathroom."Do you think he'll cry Shiki-san?" The brunet leaned over the table, a round stomach obvious due to the table. "I should go up to him and throw the baby in his face and send him so far down into depression he kills himself. Oh, but that would be too easy. I could make the child hate him too! Imagine! His own face claiming hatred of him. We could tie Shizu-chan to a wall and practice knife tossing!" The informant laughed as Kasuka bent down and returned to his date, pulling a confused Ruri out the door._

_The only thought roaming through his mind **Izaya would not poison some baby's mind to ruin his brother. **He didn't know how far he would go to help his brother, but…_

_**He would go as far as it took…**_

Kasuka woke up and rubbed his head.

"Having another nightmare?" Ruri looked up at him and yawned.

"…"

"Come on, I'm tired. We'll talk in the morning."

"It's just my head wound. I'll be better in the morning."

"Okay."

_**~.~**_

Shizuo wet his face before applying shaving cream, smirking as he watched Tsuki follow suit next to him in the mirror.

"I don't want a hairy face either."

The comment only amused him more as he handed the boy a comb and picked up the borrowed razor. "Ready?"

Tsuki nodded, "ready."

"Remember, long straight strokes. We don't want to cut our faces." He went first, showing the boy how to do it. Tsuki poised his comb above the shaving cream on his face and copied him, crunching his face up afterwards.

"It's cold."

"It's supposed to be." Shizuo continued on shaving and looked down at Tsuki. "You've never seen Izaya shave his face before?"

Tsuki propped himself up a bit and continued to scrape the cream off with his comb, "nope. I don't think mom gets hair much of anywhere besides the top of his head."

Grunting, Shizuo rinsed off his razor and shook his head. "He probably has some weird genetic thing."

"Really?" Tsuki looked up at him before pausing, wide-eyed. "My cream's all gone."

"That means you're done." Shizuo hurried up and pulled the boy over, "time to rinse."

"O-okay."

~.~"

"Damn it Celty, he needs to get up!"

Typing sounds went through the room before Shinra spoke again.

"It's not so much that! How can I seduce my wonderful future wife-UNNGH. Got it…got it… no wife references right now… Why do you always aim for my belly? It's painful…"

Izaya frowned into his darkness, slowly beginning to see the far reaches of reality begin to get closer. His endless night awakening to Shinra's sickly sweet smelling guest/patient room; Izaya groaned. He wasn't really in the mood to return to being awake. He was enjoying reminiscing over many a parkour dances with Shizu-chan.

…

Huh, what a masochistic set of dreams.

"Izaya!" Shinra practically sprinted over. "You're awake! Quick! What's your name? What do you remember?"

"Get the fuck out of my face Shinra. I have a migraine and your stupid questions aren't helping."

"Oh good, you're fine then." Shinra didn't move away as he grinned. "You had a broken leg, torn ligaments, a broken shoulder blade from impact with a bullet. Several cracked ribs; I mean, if anyone has made me feel like Victor Frankenstein, you have taken the prize."

"Thanks Shinra. I hear Tokyo bay is quite warm this time of year."

"Hey now! That's mea-"

"Where's Tsukishima?"

[With Shizuo in the living room, painting.]

"Well get him packed up. We're going."

Shinra paused a moment before rolling his eyes, "if by going, you mean nowhere, then yes. You are going."

Izaya shook his head, "no. I mean we are leaving the area of Tokyo for a while." He tried to get up and nearly screamed in agony. Pain lacerated through his leg, across his shoulders, around his stomach. He couldn't breathe suddenly. The room revolved like a globe as he tried to balance himself out and continue into a standing position.

"YOU IDIOT!" Shinra pushed him easily onto his back again and glared at him. "What part of broken did you misunderstand? You were almost as good as dead when I finally got you here! The only way your going anywhere is if someone who can physically carry you around and not buy your horseshit takes you somewhere."

"I'm sure Tsuki-chan can carry me-"  
>"I will personally check you into a mental institution if you so much as try it."<p>

"Ooh? How scary," Izaya lied. "A mental institution? Have you missed the fact that I was nearly killed by the father of my child's brother? How safe do you think we are?"

"Considering you've been out a week, pretty safe."

"Oh ye of great faith."

"Oh ye of little faith."

[Shizuo will make sure Tsuki stays safe. They seem to be bonding well.]

"Yes, leave him with a rapist. What could possibly happen?"

Celty began to type when Shinra adjusted his glasses and stopped her, "Celty, let me talk to him. Can you go grab the wheelchair from the other room?"

The dullahan nodded before leaving the room, the door shutting behind her before Shinra sat down and spoke. "Shizuo raped you?"

"Why yes. In this case, that's were a man grabs another man and sticks his poker somewhere the other man does not want it."

"Somehow I don't think it was rape."

"Why no, sir. It is still called rape."

"And you didn't tease him, egg him on, drug him…"

"Are you insinuating that I in fact, wanted him ram a stick up my ass?"

"That would make sense. You do enjoy doing things to mess with people."

Izaya looked over at him and shook his head, "and you think that I would lie to Shizu-chan about rape just to have the benefit of…" He paused in fake thought. "I can't even think of any bene-"

"To be able to torture him about being uncontrollable and to have him be tortured by seeing his own son as the direct effect of his actions."

"Shinra! You wound me!"

"Somehow, I don't think I care."

"You've been hanging with the monsters too long, Shinra! They've turned you away from humans."

"I find it oddly convenient on your part that you happened to get pregnant, an impossible feat for a male, after only one time with Shizuo."

"He's a terrible lover. Gets the cum everywhere. I was washing sheets for weeks before just tossing them in the trash and buying new ones."

"Izaya, I've known you for years. There's more weapons in your house for you to grab and use to make him leave then there are people in this city."

"True."

"So it wasn't rape."

Izaya looked over at him and smirked, "oh no, it was."

"How could he rape you if there were weapons at your disposal and don't even try to tell me that you couldn't reach them. I've seen you escape from his arms when he was trying to pound you into the school practice fields."

"I was in a moment of weakness. It happens to everyone."

"Bullshit." Shinra looked at him drolly, "besides, rape victims go into tears or avoid discussing their incidents. They avoid their rapist by any means necessary."

"Hence my leaving the country a while back."

"You two looked pretty cozy next to each other getting ready to kill Celty, Kadota, those two otakus, and I the other week."

"Bigger fish to fry."

"Or there was no rape."

"You are a terrible doctor." Izaya whined, "you have given me no drugs to dull this pain, interrogated me like this is the Spanish Inquisition, and not trust me. I just feel like dying." He threw his head back and winced at the pain.

"You wouldn't feel like dying if the world declared a Hate Izaya Day."

"You're mentioning of my moment of agony…it just…"

"Don't even, Izaya. I know you're faking it."

"Oh?" Izaya eyed him carefully, "me? Faking?"

"It doesn't matter though, Shizuo and Tsuki are getting along fine. Shizuo's proud of your son and probably regrets nothing anymore."

"I suppose that means the game is over, ne?"

Shinra glared at him, "of course this was all a game. I would expect nothing less of you."

"Of course though, Shinra. Who else would have this much fun? He did cry though. That was slightly amusing."

"So you did drug him."

"You don't think very carefully, do you, Shinra? Who says he had to be the one drugged? Maybe he just had to be angry and have an aphrodisiac filled me humping his leg."

"That's what happened."

"Who said that? I was just presenting another method to which said rape could have occurred."

"So it wasn't rape. You wanted it."

Izaya just grinned silently at the doctor.

"You both drive me insane…"

"Whatever you must tell yourself, Doctor Frankenstein… you do know how that doctor dies, ne?"

"On a boat after chasing down his monster for decades to no avail." Shinra stuck a new medicine bag's tube into Izaya's IV before the pain finally numbed. Izaya sighed before he sensed someone on the other side of the room. Turning, Izaya paused as he caught a pair of pissed mocha eyes staring at him.

"I'll just be checking up on what my wifey is doing." The doctor bounced out of the room behind Shizuo and the door shut, "Celty~! Tsuki~! Izaya is awake and would like alone time with Shizuo so he has demanded we go out and get some sushi~!"

The sounds of the three leaving the apartment was heard as Izaya stared at the blond before him; Shizuo's person getting closer and closer, that eye contact never wavering. Izaya watched him numbly.

"I…never raped you… All that shit I had to hear from you in Russia… and when I wanted to get close to Tsukishima… all of that was a lie…"

Izaya was going to kill Shinra.

~.~

_**A/N: I couldn't resist updating again instead of on one of my other fics. It was too tempting. I think I rounded out Izaya okay in this, but getting the truth out was so DIFFICULT! HE'S AN INFORMANT! HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET THESE PEOPLE TO ADMIT ANYTHING! So he just kind of… hints, at the truth. He never openly admitted it here…**_

_**Which makes me very proud of Shizu-chan for understanding. Well done, protozoan! Well done! –applaudes-**_

_**XD Review!**_


	36. Chapter 36

_It was so much simpler._

_The chess pieces lay so plainly upon the board. _

_The cards were dealt so easily._

_The numbers added to the expected outcomes._

_Dear dealer, did you ignore the emotions? _

_The humanity running through your veins?_

_You let that temptress theft your mask, _

_Unveiling you to your opponents._

_You crossed that vital line between your work and your passion._

_Crossed that line like a soul in a foreign land…_

_Tell me soldier, do you know your way back home?_

_Can you still be delivered from the light?_

_Or will you be illuminated, your scars for all to see?_

_~.~_

Whoops.

Izaya looked across the room, shrugging. "A lie?" He rolled his eyes. "I have no idea what you are referring to-"

"Don't pull that shit on me." Shizuo glared at him, "I've been agonizing over that lie of yours-"

"You poor thing, painting with Tsuki must be such a hardship. Imagine, the red paint, the symbolic blood spilt in many a figh-"

"Shut up!" Shizuo barked at him.

"Yes, you suffered so deeply. You got a son, found out how far your brother would go to keep you happy, had sex more than once, you even got to travel!"

A fist slammed into the wall, bits of drywall and insulation falling out, "I didn't care about any of that shit and you know it!"

"Aw, is this where you confess your undying love for me?" Izaya laughed, a cold vicious laugh that sent more wall crumbling to the ground as the ex-bartender shook. "Too bad, but I don't feel any of that towards you." It was just too amusing. Izaya was a trickster. A Loki among men, what had the brute expected? Flowers? Domestication?

Peace?

Izaya wanted to laugh at the very notion of those things. True, his mind had tried to boil up fantasies of those things during his nine months of pregnancy, but he had crushed them.

_He wants it though…_

And so Shizuo would have to be crushed as well. Izaya Orihara did not do the married, homebound mother role.

"Did you mean anything you said… when we were…"

"No. Not particularly." Izaya smirked at him, "why? Did you believe me? Did you want to come back to Ikebukuro and have me as your submissive? Have more man babies? Have me at home, cooking you dinner, impatiently counting down the minutes to your arrival?" The words flew from his mouth without thought. "Exactly how did you imagine the ending our old games? What happened to that hatred? Do I have competition to your abhorrence?"

Shizuo's knees buckled as he slid to the floor, his anger extinguished as he stared at the ground. His bangs covered his face, blocking Izaya from his prize of the blond's misery.

"So what was the ending to your fairy tale, Shizu-chan?"

"…"

"Embarrassed?" Izaya cursed his body's fatigue, keeping him from going over to stare into what had to be the most miserable face in the entire world. No kicked puppy or orphaned child's face could compare to the man's face. It was probably dripping in anguish.

Oh, but what a sight it had to be!

"Shizu-chan, look at me," Izaya cooed, attempting to coax his prize up to his level of vision.

"…It couldn't have been a complete lie."

"Mumbling is a terrible habit," Izaya tsked.

Shizuo's face looked up at him, shocking the brunet with the determination on his face, "I said, it wasn't a complete lie."

"Ne?" Oh, seconds, what a delicacy. Izaya was being given such entertainment this morning… evening… whatever the hell time it was."And tell me Shizu-chan, how would you know this."

"Because you gave in-"

"Intercourse, such a reliable source of information!" Izaya laughed at his own sarcasm.

"You were calling me in-"

"In the frozen tundra? Oh, that might have been from being in a death situation. I called a great many names. Hell, I even called out for the cop wanting to arrest me… and my twin demon siblings! Although whatever use they would be, I'm sure they would have enjoyed my death."

"You're lying."

"Shizu-chan the lie detector! Oh, but I should have you around for when I watch crime shows on television! I would always know who the culprit is-"

"I'm being serious here."

Izaya rolled his head away, looking out the window. "I'm sure you were, however, I have no desire to listen to the ramblings of a monster."

"Look if this is about Kasuka attacking you and Tsuki, he was-"

Izaya's laughter rang out into the room, interrupted quickly by him coughing and wheezing in pain. "Oh, too amusing! Unpredictable as always. You think this is about some young actor wishing to be an actual hero." Carmine eyes looked over, venomously searing the blond, "I just don't like you. It's as simple as that. It's not that your brother attempted in vain to kill my son and me; I went easy on him. It's not that you weren't a good fuck, you were average enough." A short chuckle escaped the brunet at that before he continued, "I just don't like you."

Shizuo remained silent, his gaze searching the informant. The man almost silently pleading the informant to take back his own words, Shizuo's body remained frozen.

This was it, Izaya thought. He had to stay confident. No loopholes. No evasive words. He had to be plain and blunt, otherwise he would just keep coming back.

…

…

And he didn't want that…

…

…

Because the brute was a monster…

…

…

And he hated monsters…

…

…

Izaya wanted to sigh in relief as the blond turned away, staring into a corner of the room, downtrodden. He almost had broken his mask.

He had almost recalled everything.

_It has to be this way…_

"You're a fucking liar, Izaya."

"oh?" Shit!

Shizuo stood up and closed the distance between them, his brows furrowed in seriousness. "I hate you."

Izaya blinked up at him, frowning, wide-eyed, completely taken aback by the statement. "What?"

"I hate you."

That's what he had thought he had heard… He laughed, "I thought we had gone over this, I hate you too."

"I hate your smug face. I hate your damn superiority complex-"

"Oh~ Shizu-chan knows fancy words-"

"I hate your condescending shit-"

"Wow, I think this is the first time I've heard you use a word with more than three syllables. Twice!"

"I hate you so fucking much."

Izaya nodded, "that sounds about right. Now then, onto the task at hand. I'm going to take Tsuki with me and leave the city a while, I'm sure it won't take him too long to forget about you. He's got the memory of a goldfish half the time."

"I hate you because I love you."

"And- …what?"

Shizuo shook his head, hovering above the informant as he shut his eyes, "I hate you because I love you, you damn fucking asshole. Dammit dammit DAMMIT!" He spun on his heels and sat down in the spare chair in the room, burying his face into his hands and growling monstrously.

"…I think I misheard you." Izaya stared up at the ceiling and frowned.

"You heard me you damn louse, just because I love you doesn't mean I won't beat the shit out of you for being an ass about my confession."

~.~

_**A/N: I feel like a jerk for making Shizuo confess like that… oh, and making you peeps wait for this… It's not LONG enough to be considered compensation for the wait… hmm, perhaps if I updated twic- NO NO! Things in this life are not free! –shot-**_

_**Anyway, thanks for the reviews so far peeps! The marriage proposal made me have to put my beloved Izaya coat in the wash and made me lose some delicious tea in shock. The sacrifices~! –hit with vending machine-**_

_**Okay~! On a serious note, thank you for the reviews, favs, and whatnot; by all means continue. REVIEW! …or you know, chill in my corner of fanfic and look forward to my updates. I'm feeling a great need to update EVERYTHING! As long as interest remains. **_

_**Review~**_


	37. Chapter 37

His wounds. Yes, that was it. Izaya was clearly hearing things due to his wounds. He was hallucinating. He was extremely doped up on medication. Yeah! Shinra was an underground doctor after all, occasionally he was going to screw up on the dosages he was supposed to be given… or he was testing new drugs. Oh, but he was going to have some serious revenge on that man.

Perhaps he would make his courier going on an errand… to Ireland for a few years. He could see it now, 'oh, she's missing? That's awful, Shinra!' He would probably become sick at heart, regret everything bad he's ever done.

"Say something, louse."

Parting from dreams is such sweet sorrow…

Izaya looked over at the blond and stared at him thoughtfully, "I don't believe I heard you correct-"

"I said I loved you. Stop being an asshole about it."

Ah… scratch the extreme Shinra plan then… "Love?" The informant raised an eyebrow, shaking his head a bit, "do you realize what that is supposed to mean? Shizu-chan, what you feel can be categorized as lust, horny, and lonely. That does not equal love-"

"I know how I fucking feel!" The anger of that statement sent the blond to his feet, glaring daggers at the informant.

"Do you?" Izaya carefully shifted himself a bit, getting himself into a semi-sitting position and biting back the pain. "You just have this all figured out?"

"I don't need to have this all figured out."

"Ne? By all means, tell me what you expect then! Inform me, Shizu-chan."

The blond shut his eyes a moment before answering, "I don't expect shit from you. I only expect to be able to see our son on a regular basis-"

"Ooh, wrong answer. I'm sorry, but thanks for dropping by. It's been a pleasur-"

Shizuo covered his mouth, pressing him into the bed and glaring, "I'm not finished yet. I expect to see _our _son. I expect to have you shut your damn pride up for a minute to listen and I expect that I'm not the only one feeling this shit. I don't know why I fell in love with a scumbag like you, but I did so shut the hell up."

Izaya waited calmly for the hand to be removed from his face before speaking. "Hard to talk when your hand's over my mouth." He smirked at the blond. "You think by being blunt of course that I'll just surrender to you. However, you must realize I don't care. At all."

"You're a liar though, so that means you do."

"I recant my former statement, if that's how your lie detector works, then I don't need it for crime television."

"Stop changing the damn subject!"

"Changing? I wasn't doing anything, Shizu-chan."

"Really?"

"Nope, not a thing."

"Liar."

"Ah, and we return to the heart of our conversation. Yes, Shizu-chan. I lie, but unfortunately for you, you are unable to tell when I lie and when I tell the truth."

"Or you're lying and saying I can't tell."

Izaya shrugged offhandedly, "valid assumption."

"So I'm right."

"And here I thought we were making progress…"

"…How was Tsuki born?"

"Hmm?" Izaya blinked, "Shizu-chan, you can't just switch topics at the toss of a hat. It's rather rude."

"Shinra had nothing to do with it, since he was shocked to find out about him a while back. That means you had him somewhere else."

"A client of mine wanted an heir. I was just so conveniently located and you were just so conveniently in the area when I was hyped up on some serious aphrodisiacs."

"An heir… You're raising him like a sheep to the slaughter…"

Izaya looked over at him, "no, more like a showdog, but you get the idea."

"…"

"Now you know! Wasn't this fun. I think this was the most entertaining game we have played yet!"

Izaya nearly jumped out of his skin when the blond started to laugh. A real, genuine laugh that doubled him over into his chair; he laughed for several minutes as Izaya stared at him.

That was… unpredicted.

"You e-e-expect me t-to believe that you r-raised Tsuki as an heir to some shady mobster?"

"No, I did." The tone of his voice was flat, leaving no room for doubt.

"That's the stupidest shit I've ever heard!" The man laughed harder as Izaya continued to watch him. The brute must have lost his mind. Heartbroken, he was clinging to his bouts of lust, thinking he can get him to take it all back and become domesticated.

Ah, this was quite interesting.

"It's quite reasonable actually. A child with your strength and my intelligence would be perfect for such a task… and he's more of a leader of a mob than a mobster. There's a bit more… _je ne sais pas_ to him."

Shizuo looked at him skeptically, "oh yeah?"

Izaya nodded, "yeah, Shiki is a bit more refined in tastes than most underling mobsters."

"So if Tsuki means nothing to you, why'd you save him?"

Damn! Point Shizu-chan. "I never said he meant nothing~"

"That's exactly what you said a few minutes ago."

"No, see, now you're twisting my words. I felt obligated to protect him. Motherly instinct is a bitch."

"So you do care about him."

"Nope."

"You just said you felt obligated to protect him," Shizuo quoted, "that's caring… Shit, no wonder you keep saying this shit about not caring, you don't know what feelings are, do you?"

Point Shizu-chan. "Ah, Shizu-chan, you belitt-"

"That would explain why your sisters are little demons as well…" Shizuo laughed a bit before standing up and ruffling the brunet's hair, "you're just as much a monster as I am."

Before thinking, Izaya slapped the man's hand away, glaring at him, removing all traces of his smirking mask. "Don't you dare degrade me to your level."

"Why did you lead me back to your home that night then, Izaya? You could have dragged anyone into an alley. You could have gone to a brothel."

Izaya glared at him silently. Oh, if only the force were real for one moment. Shizuo's smug face would be dog kibble.

"I'll be with _our _son when you decide to join us." The man turned and left the room.

He didn't care though! He was just raising the kid to be a shit to Shiki. He was only doing what he did best. Tsukishima was the ultimate chance at trolling. The kid was only his tool to antagonize the ex-bartender and the yakuza.

He didn't care.

_"I love you vatti!" _Izaya felt his face burn at the memory of one of many times that boy used the phrase Shizuo was throwing around so easily.

There was no such thing as love. Love was a lust consumed, loneliness curing deception that couples indulged in so that they could feel like they belonged somewhere. It was a phrase for one to open up to another and claim them as their own. It was complete hogwash. It was a load of crap.

There was nothing about that stupid phrase that should appeal to anyone. Westerners used the phrase like it was like saying hello. At least here in Japan, he was supposed to hear it less, if at all.

It wasn't real.

_Why did you save Tsuki?_

He really wished he knew. It had been second nature. Izaya looked around the quiet room. He could always surrender Tsukishima to Shizuo. He could hand the kid over, give him a nice goodbye hug and be on his way.

Shizuo would hate him again.

Tsuki would be crushed…

_"Vatti?" Izaya opened his eyes to look up at the little boy standing in the doorway. Damn! He had just finished potty training the kid! _

_"Was ist das?" (What is it?) _

_"I can't sleep." _

_Izaya sighed as the boy reverted to Japanese and pulled the child to his bed. "Why can't you sleep?"_

_"Doesn't dad love us? Why does everyone else have their mom and dad live together but we don't."_

_Izaya wiped at the boy's tears and smiled a little, "your dad… your dad and I had a very difficult relationship. We hated each other, but one night we loved each other very much. We let our emotions get the best of us and we made you." He took the boy's hands and put them on his belly. "You were the most stubborn thing, stayed in there for nine months and continuously stole all my ootoro."_

_"Ootoro?"_

_"All my fatty tuna. Omnomnomnomnom~" He grabbed the boy's sides and tickled him unmercifully, pretending to eat him. "And you kept eating and eating and eating all of my ootoro and when I didn't eat my beloved ootoro you would kick and kick and kick at me until you got more of my fatty tuna~"_

_"ahahahahahhahahahaahahahaa~ Vatti~ Vatti~! Ahahahahahahahahhhahaa Stop~! Pleaseeeeeeeee!"_

_Izaya pulled the kicking, squealing child under the covers and hugged him close, "your dad was bad with people though, and after that night of love, hated me again, so we parted ways and I got to keep you all to myself."_

_"I love you vatti." Tsuki murmured, yawning a bit before snuggling closer._

"I love you too, Tsuki-chan…" Izaya sat in the bed and stared at the door in horror.

He was in love with Shizuo and Tsukishima…

~.~

**_A/N: It's about time, ne? Gah! I would have updated sooner, but again Izaya proved himself to be a difficult little flea. DX _**

**_Plus I have a nice Hetalia/Durarara crossover idea I working on so it's been hogging my time. -shot- _**

**_My reason for updating, someone said in their review that they were going to die. I was all "OH SCHEISSE!" -immediately begins typing- You're reviews are inspiration and with the story coming close to the end, that means the reviews are even more important! So you know, leave a little something for the overworked informant here below. _**


	38. Chapter 38

"We're back."

"Tsuki," Shizuo picked the boy up as Shinra complained to Celty.

"I'm just thinking about what a great mother you would be and- agh. Got it. Got it. No children…" Rubbing the jab pain that would no doubt be a bruise later, Shinra looked over at Shizuo. "Did you two sort everything out?"

"Tch, no." Shizuo nuzzled the boy in his arms as Tsuki squirmed.

"No nomming me, dad~"

"I'm hungry though and monsters have to eat small children. Omnomnom~"

"No~!" Tsuki wiggled more in his father's arms, trying to escape. "I still need to finish my masterpiece! You can't eat me!"

"Masterpiece?" Those mocha eyes looked up at the boy from his chest, "I might prolong your life if you tell me what it is…"

"No way! You'll tell mom and then it will be ruined!"

"…OMNOMNOMNOM~!" Shizuo began to pretend to eat him again and Tsuki squealed at the tickling.

"NOOOOO! I can't tell!"

"Shinra, you know where to hide the bones right?"

"Uhh…" Shinra coughed a bit, "what? Hide bones? I don't hide bodies, that is… my least favorite to do."

Tsukishima and Shizuo both stared at him a moment, frowning before Tsukishima took the chance to leap away from Shizuo and run to his bag. Pulling out his sketchbook, he flipped through the pages, "you have to promise not to tell mom."

"I won't."

Tsuki looked at him and adjusted his glasses. "N-no I mean, you can't even _hint _at it. Mom is really really good at finding out about stuff."

"I won't tell… and I'll keep these two from telling him." Shizuo motioned at Shinra and Celty as the dullahan typed.

[Of course we won't tell.]

"I mean occasionally there will be a body or two that the yakuza bring to me and the body is dead so I have to do _something _with it, but in no manner makes me a cleaner. I mean, I don't really _move _the body… but I mean, I don't- GAH! I'm going to check on Izaya." The doctor headed away to the back as Tsuki turned the book around.

"Um… so it's kind of bad-"

"It's great." Shizuo complimented.

Tsuki looked at his work and frowned, "…I haven't even gotten halfway finished with it."

"It's a picture of Izaya."

"It's going to be a picture of all of us."

Shizuo bent down and took the book carefully from the boy, looking at the picture. "So we'll all be in this?"

"You, mom, and I." Tsuki pointed at the picture, "I'm going to have mom's chessboard here and then you'll be on the other side of it with a vending machine, and then I'm going to be sitting nearby."

Shizuo frowned, "a vending machine?"

"Uhuh. You're going to be holding it up like you're going to throw it and then mom is going to be moving pieces on his chessboard and then I'm going to be kind of dozing nearby."

"And how did you decide on this?"

"I asked one of mom's clients what you both liked to do and that was the answer I got… oh, and I asked the scary lady."

"Scary lady?"

"Mom's secretary… she's weird…"

"I see." Shizuo looked at the picture a moment before sighing.

"What? Is it bad?" Tsuki looked at him almost fearfully and Shizuo shook his head hurriedly.

"No! It'll be great. I was just thinking maybe you should draw something… calmer…"

"Calmer. Like a tsunami in the background? Or bad guys?"

"Like all of us getting along."

Tsuki frowned, "but mom and you don't get along. Doesn't it seem a little ooc to draw that."

"Ooc? What?"

"Out of character. Erika and Walkie taught me that." Tsuki grinned a bit before adjusting his scarf, "I suppose I can draw a calm picture after this…"

"Tsuki," Shinra walked back in and looked at the boy, "Izaya wants to talk to you."

"Oh…" Tsuki buried his face into his scarf, "is he… mad at me?"

"If he is, tell me Tsuki." Shizuo growled.

"Of course not, Tsukishima." Shinra stated, "he's just worried about you. I think he missed you."

"Oh," the boy went sprinting from the room, rushing past the doctor and shutting the door behind him.

Shizuo looked at the man, "what did he want with him?"

"He's… I don't even know, but when I saw him, he looked like he was in the middle of a small panic attack. What did you do to him, Shizuo?"

"Tch… he better not do something stupid."

The doctor and dullahan exchanged a glance before Shinra rolled his eyes, heading towards his own room.

~.~

Do not panic.

No no. Just stay calm. Everything will be okay.

Just close your eyes. Just take a few deep breaths. Breathe, Izaya. You are the informant of Shinjuku. You are the best informant in this city, perhaps if one is not too bold in saying, the best in the country.

There is no need to be having anxiety attacks.

"Izaya?"

Carmine eyes opened and Izaya looked over to see the doctor shuffling in the doorway. "It's highly rude to enter another person's room without knocking."

"My house, my rules." The doctor shut the door behind him and dropped his smile, "besides, I did knock."

"Mhmm."

"Dang, you are worse than I expected. You moved a lot, didn't you?"

"…"

Shinra looked at him and raised a brow, "nothing? Here I expected some witty comeback."

"You smell like shit."

"Now that was just mean." Shinra pouted a moment before messing with the iv bags and medicine.

"Well, I could give you a comeback or just find a way to keep Celty from you for a while. I do need to thank you for the oh so kind visit from Shizu-chan."

Shinra glared over at him a moment before grabbing his computer tablet and scribbling notes down on it. "Right, because you can mean the difference between me and Celty having time together."

The informant leaned onto his hand, disregarding the pain in his shoulder, "of course not! I just provide several jobs for a mute headless woman who holds a deep fear of all other paranormal beings including and not limited to aliens, poltergeists, and demons."

"…You scare Celty, and I'm going to ensure that I set Shizuo on such an aphrodisiac high that you're not walking for months."

"Threatening!" the wounded man gasped theatrically, "what is this? We're friends, Shinra! Not animals! There is no need for you to be so cruel to me! I love all my humans, even the stupid ones who fall for monsters."

"Of course," Shinra shook his head, "you even love yourself for falling for Shizuo."

"Hmm?" A yawn erupted forth, "I don't believe I did anything to let on that I hold any form of affections for the brute of 'bukuro."

"I wonder if there's some kind of tumor on your brain."

"What?"

"That would explain your behavior and the reason you're being as blind as a bat about anything intellectual. Normally, you're good at reading atmospheres."

"You assume there is something more to my feelings for Shizu-chan, but you fail to realize just how well adapted I am at keeping my hormones in check. Unlike someone who fawns relentlessly over a certain monster, I can kill off any sort of interest in anyone else."

"Izaya, I would like to do a biopsy to check for tumors in your brain."

"and I would like to walk out of here without any pain and go home with my son, we can see how well that's working out."

"I'll just schedule it for lat-"

"It's not happening, Shinra."

The doctor sighed before turning, "at least admit it to him, Izaya. Even if you are worried about what will happen afterwards, he isn't a malicious person."

"Shinra, I think the smoke from Celty's neck is messing with your mental functions."

"Forget it, I tried. I'm going to bed, need anything before I leave."

"A laptop, my cellphone, two thousand yen, some ootoro, some music to listen to, better pillows, some better drugs… oh, and I want to talk to Tsuki-chan."

Shinra spared him a glance before heading out, "I'll send Tsukishima in."

"Oi! I want the other things as well! Shinra!" The door shut and Izaya sighed, leaning back on the bed and rubbing at the shoulder wound. Damn, it hurt so badly…

What to do, what to do…

He could do as his doctor recommended or… he could be a pain the ass…

Choices, choices…

He was really particularly enjoying the sound of being a troll to the others. It just seemed much more convenient. Besides, Shizuo seemed to think he knew everything about his feelings and emotions, even though he himself had no idea.

Eh, he could assume all he wanted.

"Mom?"

Izaya looked over at the doorway as the boy walked over, "ah, Tsuki-chan."

Tsuki sprinted across the room and leaped onto the bed, his scarf fluttering out behind him like a speed trail. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to forget, I really didn't! I was just so upset and then dad was all upset and I just-"

"Hush hush." Izaya pulled the boy close and sighed contently, "everything worked out for the best. See? As long as I can still hold my Tsuki-chan, I'm fine."

"Aren't you mad though…"

"You're how old?"

"Five, but I'm getting close to six!"

The informant chuckled, "oh yes, just a few more weeks now."

"A month!"

"A year?"

"No! A month!"

"You want to stay five forever?"

"No! I said I turn six in a month!"

"Ah, Tsuki-chan, don't you know you have to turn five five times? That's the way it works, ne?"

"Noooo~!" Tsuki pouted, "I don't wanna stay five, I wanna turn six."

"Nah, you want to stay five and keep me safe from all the zombies in those movies."

"I can do that when I'm s-six!"

"I don't know…" Izaya looked away only to have the boy bury his face into his middle.

"I can! I know I can. I'll make sure mom doesn't get hurt anymore!"

"You will?"

"Yeah, I have super strength like dad so I'll beat all the bad people back so that no one ever hurts mom again."

Strength?

Izaya had known that he was somewhat strong, but like Shizuo…

That was unexpected. Tsuki was turning out more and more like Shizuo than he had expected.

"You're just like your father…" Izaya ran his hand through the boy's blond hair as Tsuki looked up at him, worriedly.

"Is that bad?"

"…"

"I'm like mom too!" Tsuki insisted, "I have your eyes and I'm really good at answering the phone and I have a desk just like you do! And I'm getting really good at painting and I still don't understand chess, but when I do I'll be just as good as you!"

Izaya watched the boy grasp at straws and remained stoic.

"I am like you! I take really good care of all my stuff and dress really good too! And I don't like monsters, but I think humans are really cool too! And and… and-"

"Shush, Tsuki-chan, it's not bad that you're like your father." Izaya pulled him closer and lifted the bed sheets, letting the boy crawl under them and snuggle against him. His shoulder ached a symphony of agony, but he wasn't that concerned over it.

"Vatti, I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"You did exactly what I needed you to do. You got to safety."

The boy hugged him close. "I love you, vatti."

"…Tsuki…" Izaya looked down at the boy and pulled his glasses off, putting them on the nightstand, "do you love dad or me more?"

"I love you, vatti! You have always been there for me. I don't know what I would do without you."

Pwned, Shizu-chan. "I love you, Tsuki-chan. I love you so much. You're my favorite person in the whole wide world."

Tsuki beamed up at him before hugging him tighter, making the pain worse yet, "I love you too!"

"I love you more."

"I love you most!"

"I love you morstest!"

"That's not fair! That's not a word!"

"Yeah huh. I just created it."

"Well I love you infinitely morstest then."

"Oh, that was so mean, using my own word against me." Izaya kissed his forehead and shut his eyes, "let's get some sleep."

"O-okay…" Tsuki set his scarf on the nightstand and cuddled up close, soon enough drifting off to sleep.

"Morstest?"

"It's called improvisation, Shizu-chan." Izaya looked over to the doorway, where the blond stood watching.

"You care about him, flea."

"I don't know whatever gave you that impression."

The brute motioned at them both, "people don't take care of things they don't care about like that nor do they comfort them."

"There are several different examples I can give to the opposite of that statement, would you like them chronologically or alphabetically?"

"You take a lot of things for granted."

"Oh dear, whatever shall I do." Izaya motioned the brute over, "come take him to his own room though, he's drooling on my wounded shoulder."

Shizuo took three steps in before smirking.

"What?"

"You say take him away, but every time I get closer, you hold him closer to yourself. Explain that, I-za-ya-kun~"

~,~

_**AlN: Oh wow, long chapter, ne? Just shows appreciation, thanks peeps. Anyone wanna see some awesome Shizu-chanXIzaya tension next chapter? I'm considering it. I think I would want Izaya as a mom though, like DANG~! -hit with trashcan- **__**Revie- -hit with another trashcan-**__**You get the idea by now, I love feedback a little too much. B) **_


	39. Chapter 39

Why was he still holding Tsuki?

Scratch that, he knew why, he just wasn't going to say it, not to Shizuo. Not to his foe, his rival, the blue to his red, the polar opposite to his persona. The black chess pieces did not become white because the opponents were to be friends.

"Muscle spasms."

"Mhmm," an overly obviously skeptical Shizuo crossed his arms and just _smirked_. Ugh, what a disgusting look the man had upon his visage. The smirk didn't belong. Shizuo was not supposed to have any upper hand. He was not even supposed to _imagine _having the upper hand in their…

In their…

Izaya shut his eyes in frustration, feigning pain. "Shizu-chan, the boy. My shoulder is murdering me."

"Bullshit."

"Protozoan, as much fun as it is to have a child trying to prolong my agony, I would like him off my shoulder."

"Fine." Walking directly over to them, the blond leaned over, reaching for the kid only to stop short. He made a pointed look, his arms directly over the locking limbs, holding the boy against the informant.

Those limbs were Izaya's own arms.

"You can't keep switching up your opinion, louse. You either love him or you don't."

"How interesting! Mr. Hyde is trying to explain love to Dr. Jekyll. Sorry, sir, but you're too much of a monster to be able to explain something as useless as love."

"So what if I am a monster, it takes one to know one."

"Actually, no." Izaya shook his head a bit, "It merely takes someone with eyes to see the monstrosity before them."

Shizuo leaned in more, closing the distance a bit more, "then you must be as much of a monster as I am, otherwise why would Kasuka have attacked you?"

Izaya smirked at him, "I have a theory about that. What makes a person evil? One person alone cannot be labeled as evil. That would be boring, all the world would have to do is kill them and be done with it. No, the way I see it, evil is a disease, just as monsters are. They infest upon humanity, causing them to be allured, to flock to them as if they were a religion in an atheist land. As if they were water in the desert. In the end, it spreads."

"Again, you're spouting shit that makes no fucking sense."

"Shizu-chan! Language! I have a child present."

"Well if you don't care about him then it doesn't matter what the fuck I say."

Izaya forced his arm up, punching him in the nose, "get away from us."

"Us?" Shizuo sniffled, rubbing his nose as blood trickled out a bit. "Stop changing the subject, do you love him or not. It's a yes or no question, Izaya."

"Why don't you go ask your little Russian girlfriend that delightful question?"

Shizuo froze, "what the hell does that even mean, I don't even know-"

"The officer that came by the hotel room," Izaya smirked. "Did you think I was sleeping?"

"You little shit! I needed to talk to you!"

"No you didn't."

"Yes, I did!" Shizuo glared at him furiously, "do you even know what you looked like when I got you to that room? Do you even… Fuck! You were so out of it, so close to freezing to death in that fucking abandoned building that-"

"That you just had to save me?" Izaya smirked, "were you just so needy? You just wanted to feel so noble as to save the poor damsel in distress. It seems so simple at this point, save the lover, bring the family together, and automatically all the hardships could be overcome. Think carefully, do you really fully believe that I left my home country because of some second rate actor?"

Shizuo's glare intensified.

"Of course not. You understand. You may be thick, but you aren't that stupid. You want to know why I ran from you when you saw Tsuki-chan, don't you?"

"I don't car-"

"You can tell yourself that, Shizu-chan, but you don't believe that. You are curious."

"Like hell I am." Shizuo slumped into a chair and looked over at him exasperatedly, "Alright. If it gets you to admit anything real, then blow your shit at me."

"You make it sound like I'm lying."

"I know you are."

Izaya laughed softly, "you are so easily deceived by the lies, you blind yourself to the truth."

The blond pulled out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter, pulling a stick out.

"You're not smoking that in here."

"Do you think I'm quitting just because we have a kid?"

"Fascinating! You hope to have Tsukishima succumb to second hand smoking lung cancer."

"You don't fucking care."

"And hope to have him curse. What a delightful parent you are turning out to be."

Shizuo pulled the lit cigarette out and blew smoke out of his mouth. He looked over at the informant nonchalantly and smirked, "I never said I didn't care. I'm not the one in denial here. I love you both, even though you're an asshole."

"Love us to death, eh?" Izaya snorted, "how primitive, yet it fits you well."

"You don't believe that."

"You're fighting with smoke Shizu-chan, you can't win."

"Only because you keep changing the freaking subject." The man propped his feet on the nightstand and Izaya eyed him carefully.

"…"

"…Your staring is fucking creepy." The man continued smoking and Izaya smiled at him.

"You can leave."

"I could."

"But you won't."

"Not even from the room."

"I suppose then you will be subject to more observation then."

"Whatever floats your boat, Flea."

Silence returned as the two continued with their ministrations. Shizuo continued to smoke the cigarette right to its end, watching the embers burn, the smoke trail into the air, and the light at the end of the stick approach his person. Izaya watched the brute unfalteringly, his carmine eyes burning as strongly as the embers of the stick. The heart monitor continued an endless stream of a steady tempo.

Eventually, the duo found themselves watching one another. Cat and mouse, predator and prey… the two held one another's gaze. The argument continued in their eyes.

_It doesn't matter what you say, I won't give you Tsuki, nor admit to anything._

**I don't fucking care, he's mine as much as yours.**

_Ah, possessive~ You make it seem as though he is a house or some article of clothing. _

**Stop putting words in my mouth!**

_I would never do such a thing. I was just commenting that your comment was quite ignorant to what Tsuki needs._

**He needs two parents!**

_Does he? I think I have gotten along quite well in raising him alone. He's growing up to be quite the gentleman._

**So you care about him then.**

_I don't believe I said anything of the sort._

**Why would you care about what he needs then?**

_Because I am a complicated individual with complex mental processes… you do know what mental processes are, don't you Shizu-chan? They're when you thin-_

**I know what they are!**

_Oh~! So furious. You know, anger is not good in a child's home environment._

**Well maybe if you would stop PISSING ME OFF!**

_Inside voices, Shizu-chan. Lest we wake the slumbering child._

**If anyone is waking him up, it'll be you. **

_Blaming others is a terrible thing, however his hair is not staying blond. My child was perfect with the original coloring. And I don't believe he had your strength when I released him into your care. _

**It's not my fucking fault!**

_Shizu-chan~ you assume that you can place blame on everyone else except yourself. Surely you must realize that you are somewhat to blame-_

**SHUT UP! **

Shizuo broke eye contact, opting to look out the window instead of at the gleaming, victorious red eyes, watching him.

"I'm done with our stupid games…"

Izaya laughed, louder than from before, "you think so?"

"I'm not going to do this anymore with you, Izaya."

The brunet pouted, "aw, no -kun at the end of that? No calling me flea or louse? How dull…"

Mocha eyes looked at him seriously, "I'm not kidding, I'm done. As far as I'm concerned, I'll be here for you and Tsuki, but no more mind games."

"We'll return to our physical gam-"

"Shinra's estimating you to be unable to walk for at least two weeks."

"How sad, you actually believe him." The informant sat up a bit, masking over his pain, "I give myself a week tops-"

"Stop moving!"

"Ah?" Izaya moved again, the boy against him sliding away from him a bit, "you mean do this?"

Shizuo glared at him, "I said stop it."

"You see, you say that and I just want to move more."

"Then move!"

"Okay."

"STOP!" The blond leaped to his feet as Izaya wiggled in place.

"I feel like doing a nice jig in a minute, maybe going for a marathon-"

"Stop. Moving." The man was growling, glaring at him as his cigarette was broken and dropped to the floor.

"I can do a great interpretation of a fish out of water." Izaya wiggled more in place before the blond moved closer, growing steadily more and more irate.

"Why are you being impossible?"

"I could never be impossible, because it if I am, then it is in fact possible. Therefore why am I being improbable is more of a reasonable question."

"Is it so hard for you to just admit it!" In seconds, the blond was climbing on top of him, Izaya trapped by his own person. He stared up at the anger swirling in the brown orbs above him, his mind recoiled, as if struck from an invisible weapon.

He would not give in. He was not the one to bend over. He would not surrender an inch of his proverbial throne to someone such as this monster.

"I have nothing to admit."

"I got you to say it once," the blond's voice dropped several octaves and Izaya stared at him drolly. "I can get you to say it again."

"You've let your progress go to your mind. I let you get to where you stand." The informant kept his gaze on those eyes, unwavering and uncaring of where he tread. His son was fast asleep. "You've let your instincts take over your thinking. You think just because you have a son, that makes me yours. You think just because I went through such agony, I did it for you."

"No, but I-"

"Not finished, Shizu-chan." Izaya glared at him, "you want to have him, take him, but you know he won't let you leave without me. He loves me, Shizu-chan. No matter how much you want to believe that you can become part of a family. No matter how much you want to change the present, it's impossible." Izaya raised himself further up, forcing the blond to back up. "You can't change the past Shizu-chan. You chose this the moment you said that you hated me. You can't love. You don't understand what the phrase means. You've never held a child in your arms as they were growing up and had to explain where the other parent is. You've never had to change a diaper. You've never stood as a child fell to his knees, learning how to walk. You've never watched a baby become a boy." The informant pushed the blond further away from him, his resolve to rid himself of him providing him with adrenaline, "You weren't there. You don't get it. Neither of us want you here. Tsukishima is my son."

"I want to be here." Shizuo kept on the bed, albeit further than before, but remaining on the informant's legs. He stared at the man determinedly, "I'm not walking away or letting you get into my head. I said I'm staying here and I mean it."

"Do you?"

"YES!"

"What happens when he gets older, when he leaves, will you stay with me?" The question caused the blond's eyes to flicker with doubt, causing the informant to laugh, "I didn't think so. You feel obligation. Kill it. You're not here because of your love. Your love is transcendental, nonexistent. It will be void as soon as Tsukishima grows up."

"No it won't!"

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I don't feel like this for anyone else!" The blond blushed as he practically yelled it. His gaze flickered to the small boy sleeping next to Izaya, relieved as the boy remained out of it.

The informant hissed at him, not wanting the boy to awaken either. Without the catalyst, he could keep the reaction at bay. Keep his emotions inside; Tsuki was just too accustomed to overriding his façade. "You don't feel hate? Of course not, aren't you the one going around telling everyone how you hate them less than you hate me? Aren't you the one who at the mere mention of my name, loses control?"

"Yes."

"Then that's not love."

"And you think you know what love is? Someone who has turned his back on everyone in his own family? Someone who calls his own siblings demons."

"You think just because you can so easily forgive and love your brother, that just because you can try so hard to fit in with the world, to change your outward appearance to seem more normal, that you can call yourself human."

"You wouldn't know what love was if it came up to your face and punched you!"

"Monsters are unable to feel the emotions of humans. They are plagues to humanity, causing nothing but misery and strife."

Their faces grew slowly closer and closer as the two spoke, their voices heading in a steady crescendo, their gazes blazing in a mixture of denial to the other's words.

"You don't know shit!"

"You can't be human."

"Come off that damn pedestal and realize that you can't push me away anymore!"

"We don't want you here Shizuo!"

"I'm not leaving! I love you both and you both love me too!"

"NO ONE CARES! MY LOVE FOR YOU IS NOTHING BUT A WEAKNESS! A WEAKNESS THAT WILL KILL ME! GO AWAY!"

Both men paused, disconcerted by the sudden outburst from the informant. The informant's lip curled in fury as the ex-bartender's face blossomed into excitement and triumph. "That's why… you don't want to die."

"Every emotion comes with a price, Shizu-chan," Izaya murmured slowly, his gaze narrowed, his heart pounding, trying to be freed from his chest.

Next to them, the seemingly slumbering child smiled a bit, listening to the two men reach the climax of their fight.

~.~

_**A/N: Gott, they fight for freaking ever. And Izaya's countless changing of topics, I mean, can't they just get along… nevermind, bad question. Of course they can't, that would ruin half the fun.**_

_**Oh, reviewers. I update for you~! And you know, for them faving peeps and alert setting peeps. **_

_**Sorry for not updating yesterday! I know one reviewer was hoping to have it after their 5 exams, my lil bro had his birthday yesterday. Gomenasai! I hope today suits you okay. I made the chapter extra long! **_

_**Review~ I think the characters remained in character okay… I think… **_

_**I want yaoi~! –sobs- maybe next chapter? Maybe? –thinking-**_


	40. Chapter 40

"_You see, we live in a world where the most important phrases should not be said like common greetings. We live in a world where saying something that means something far greater than one can imagine is cruel to even murmur to one's self unless they truly mean it."_

_Tsuki looked up at him and smiled shyly from behind his scarf, after mortifying a young private tutor away, not being lectured was beyond anything he had imagined. "Is that why you don't like to say I love you?"_

_"Yep." Izaya picked the small boy up and bounced him on his lap, nuzzling the boy's brown mop of hair. _

_"So if my father ever said I love you…"_

_"Ahahahaha~" Izaya shook his head, laughing hard, "Your father saying that would be like the entirety of Europe deciding to be one big happy nation!" _

_"O-oh…"_

_"But," Izaya lifted the boy's face from its scarf barrier and rubbed his nose against the boy's, "if he did, I wouldn't be able to say the words to him. At least not in so few words…"_

_"What would you say?" _

"My what a stupid protozoan you are, Shizu-chan," The informant coughed a bit as Tsuki actually laid on his wounds, adding more pain than he would have preferred.

"You said it. You said you love me."

"You imagine things. I said if I loved you. That if is highly unlikely."

Shizuo rolled his eyes, "and why would it be a weakness? Because we might actually have things in common that you didn't realize before?"

"Things in common? Shizu-chan? Are you sure I was the only one who got into a fight recently? That's just some serious crazy talk. Maybe Shinra should take those blood samples he's always going after."

Izaya felt the boy next to him tense up as shiver a bit in mirth as Shizuo's gaze darkened a bit. "Don't chalk my feelings up to nothing, flea!"

"Oh, and again we return to our wonderful nickname of the flea! Perhaps I should get a mask and outfit and run around claiming myself to be a superhero by that name."

Shizuo just stared at him a moment, his face clearly reading something along the lines of 'what the hell is he spouting?' "Stop avoiding the subject, Izaya."

"Man, I'm not a fan of tights though. They make my legs look all hairy…"

The little boy trembled more obviously and Shizuo grew more frustrated. "You're supposed to have hairy legs, you're a man."

"So rude, what if I happen to enjoy slightly less hairy legs. Maybe it increases my speed in running."

Tsuki shuddered his hand moving to cover his mouth and Shizuo _STILL_ didn't notice. Goodness, but the man was blind.

"I doubt it- can we _please_ return to your confession."

"Confession? Ah, but Shizu-chan! I swear I didn't do anything! I was just happening by the place when the mean lady on the motorcycle was chasing the poor girl down, if I happened to be sending messages to the lady and led her to another place to meet with someone, that _really_ isn't a _crime…_"

"…What the hell are you talking about now!" Shizuo growled, flopping to the other side of him. He froze as a small giggle escaped from the small boy. "…Are you awake Tsuki?"

"You'll find that he's been awake for a while probably." Izaya looked down to find the boy moving, using his wounded shoulder as a prop to get up.

"Mnn… what? Are you two fighting?" He looked over at them through bleary eyes and Izaya bit back a smirk.

Ah, but to be an Orihara, no doubt acting was well in the boy's blood from both sides. Shizuo fell for it like a complete dolt.

"Of course we weren't. We were just… talking. Right Izaya?"

"Naturally, we might have been raising our voices, disagreeing on about everything, and then-"

"Mom was just telling me he loves me." Shizuo smugly declared it as if it were a statement of fact.

Tsukishima ate it up like it was the declaration that Christmas had come early, "Really?"

"Yep." Shizuo beamed right back at him, both of them seemly so energetic that had they been atoms, they probably would have burst into nuclear energy, destroying the area at large.

Izaya coughed, "I do not remember that part of our conversation."

"He's in denial."

Tsuki nodded, "I know."

Control time. "Tsuki, would you go get Shinra for me," Izaya winced, "my wounds are aching badly."

"Oh yeah, sure." Hoping down, the little blond left the room and Izaya looked at Shizuo bemused.

"You said it."

"Don't get his hopes up."

"Won't matter if I do or not, I'm not leaving."

"No? And what exactly will come out of crushing his dreams? He'll expect something out of us that we won't be able to-"

"I'll do whatever it takes."

"Will you." Izaya sat up again and felt blood trickle down his belly from his wounds. Oh, but Shinra was going to be killing him in a few moments. "You're going to follow exactly what that otaku friend of Dotachin's is always going on about?"

The man faltered, leaving his bishop for the taking.

"You're going to suddenly have the type of job that will let us allow Tsukishima to be able to go over to a friend's house without being in danger of being picked up by some debtor who knows you?"

"…" And we proceed to check.

"Tell me Shizu-chan, just how much do you apparently love me? Is it actually me you love so deeply, or is it just the fact that Tsukishima is in the equation."

Shizuo stared at him silently, saying nothing.

And with his silence, the white king fell, surrendering the game to the darkness.

Izaya sighed, "Exact-mmph!"

Shizuo moved in, kissing the words right from his mouth.

And suddenly it was like before. No control, no say in what his body did; the very thing he was trying to avoid took him.

His rampant heart throbbed and rejoiced at its reunion with lust. His arms hesitantly met the brute's chest, gripping his shirt. The man invaded his mouth, delving deep within, prying from it all the answers Izaya's person could or would never say in so many words.

Information was not free, as he would so well knowingly point out.

The brute forced him to the mattress, forcing him to lay down, staking claim to each and every part of his mouth that the man could go for. Izaya was trapped beneath him, his thinking processes shut down by the simple pressing of a button. His king captured by the one chess piece he had never seen coming.

Perhaps he should have watched his own portion of the board a bit more carefully. Perhaps he had wanted this all along; that parts of him that fantasied planning this from the get go.

He didn't know when, but his arms wrapped themselves around the blond, holding him closer. He kissed the brute back, his head blank as he shut his eyes, basking in the nothingness of the moment, the simple pleasure that could only be found in such an action.

Shizuo leaned in more, minding the battered body under him as he continued to kiss the informant. Years ago, he would have been mortified by such a thought as doing something like this, but…

"I love you, Izaya. You damn fucking flea."

The informant was completely out of it, settling for kissing him rather than responding.

That wouldn't do, not for him.

Shizuo pulled back and nipped at his lower lip, "I love you."

The words did nothing to phase past the informant. He blocked out his words by forcing himself up higher and kissing him again. Shizuo pulled away more, standing on his knees, one on either side of the informant and repeating the words in as serious a tone as he could manage, being out of breath.

"I love you."

"Are you expecting me to say it back?" Izaya grabbed his shirt and tugged at him. "Get over here."

"Not until you say it."

"By your own words, I have already said it. Now then-"

"I want to move in."

"You also want peace, but you must realize by now that you are a violent soul. Anyway, come come." Izaya held his arms out and Shizuo was a bit tempted.

"Izaya…"

"Yes, you don't have to keep saying it. It's a bit creepy to hear you spouting nonsense like that."

"I mean it-"

"Of course, of course, but come _here_-"

"OH GAWD!" Shinra screeched by the door, covering Tsukishima's face, "CLOTHES GENTLEMEN! AT LEAST… YOU KNOW! LOCK THE DAMN DOOR!"

Hmm? Both adults looked at each other before Izaya drifted his gaze down… and stared… at the fact…

That Shizuo…

Had his pants off…

And Izaya's hands…

Were…

Izaya looked over at Shinra and smiled a bit, "I am very glad to see you again, Shinra. I appear to be delusional. If you would be so kind as to sedate me or help me get some decent rest, I would be ever so less inclined to help you learn to swim."

"Leave us for about an hour or so," Shizuo grunted.

"Ah, but Shizu-chan seems a bit out of it too. I thought I felt a concussion, you should take blood samples!"

Shinra sighed into his free hand before looking at them, "Izaya, I somehow doubt there will be signs of a concussion in ah… that particular area of Shizuo's anatomy."

"What's going on?" Tsuki tried to move Shinra's hand and the good doctor grew a bit frantic.

"I should probably-"

"Couple hours, Shinra." Shizuo's hands went to the hem of Izaya's hospital getup and the doctor nodded.

"Right! Right!" He herded the small child away and Izaya called after him.

"Wait wait! I think I opened a couple of my wounds!"

"Shizuo-san can take care of them for you!" The door slammed shut and the knob was tried a couple times before Izaya heard something that made his heart beat into overtime.

"Shinra-san? Why did you lock us out of there?"

"Well, Tsukishima. I believe that they really missed each other and that we are going to be going to visit our good friends Kadota, Erika, and Walker for a few hours so that your parents will have alone time! Doesn't that sound fun?"

"…You're weird…"

The men in the room waited until the door shut before Shizuo looked down at him and grinned, "going for something, Izaya-kun?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Putting my hands in awkward places must be a kink of yours."

~.~

_**A/N: -typing fanfiction to dramatic Persona FES music- Let's do this thing! **_


	41. Chapter 41

"If either of us is the pervert here," Shizuo murmured, lapping himself up a nice path from Izaya's chest, his mouth ending up breathing hot air against his neck, "it's the one of us who started us down this path."

"Ooh~ Shizu-chan is a tease~"

"Shut it, Flea," a rather harsh bite made itself known as it was coerced into creation, the brute sinking his teeth in.

"Just like your brother, leaving marks~"

Shizuo lifted his chin, forcing Izaya to make eye contact as he spoke, "No one gives a shit about my brother in this room right now. This is just about you and me."

"Promises, promises…"

"And I keep my fucking word, unlike someone."

Izaya pouted, "such a brute, saying such things when you hardly spend any time with me." He reached out with his good arm, grabbing the man and pulling them together.

"You want me to spend more time with you?"

"You want sex?"

"Stop changing the subject!"

Izaya sighed, "you're becoming so predictable."

"Fine." Shizuo pulled away and stood up, pulling his pants back on, "if I'm not good enough, just say so."

"Okay."

Shizuo stopped in front of the door and looked over his shoulder, "by the way, clean yourself up. You're bleeding and have gotten precum on the sheets."

DAMN! "Shizu-chan~" Izaya whined, "how am I supposed to do that when I can hardly move?"

"Well you don't want my help." Shizuo leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms, watching.

"You know you're horny," the brunet cooed, "just come over here and clean me up before you go."

"No, you're fine." Shizuo looked out the window and grinned, "how long do you think they've been gone?"

"Ten minutes tops."

"I would give them an hour… Tsuki won't want to be away long."

"Cruel, Shizu-chan, trying to get me to say things."

"I'm not trying to force you to do anything," his smiles were becoming a more common occurrence. It was quite frazzling.

And Izaya was becoming quite frazzled.

"Shizu-chan~" Izaya looked over at him, "my affections are not simply made by words, they are earned-"

"Saved you… twice, I believe…" He narrowed his eyes in thought, "yes, twice. I would say that's a positive start."

"And rape-"

"DON'T YOU DARE START THAT SHIT AGAIN!"

"Oh, Shizu-chan is frazzled~" That was turning into his favorite new word. Frazzled. It made him sound like a cat.

The image of Shizuo with cat ears…

Ah…

Wait…

Izaya looked away, frowning out the window by his own mental distraction.

"…and…shouldn't…damn flea…WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" Shizuo stormed over and looked at the floor, frowning at the lack of distraction.

"Hmm?" Izaya pulled himself away from the mental images he would no doubt be thinking about later, and looked at the blond blankly.

"I was asking what you were looking at."

"The floor quite obviously."

"I got that, why?"

Think. Think. "Do you think Shinra replaced the floor in the last few years? I think this is new tile."

Shizuo stared at him in confusion. "Why does the floor matter? He got it replaced a couple years ago."

"Knew it." The informant smirked, shutting his eyes and rolling onto his good side, ignoring his stomach and chest's protests. "Leave me Shizu-chan. Shinra will fix me up later. Although if you want to get me some ootoro, I wouldn't complain."

...

Silence.

Ah, such sweet sweet silence. It drifted throughout the room, it permeated the aggravating tension that had been there. It was-

Wait, shouldn't Shizu-chan have left? Why was he not leaving?

Ah, but he would leave soon enough. He would get annoyed. He just had to hold the man at bay. Simple. He'd only been doing it for eight years.

Simple. Simple.

Mr. Simple would leave to his own home~

Oh, and he would be all alone.

All alone with his world of humans~

It would be so so sweet.

He could make himself a home,

Maybe-

"Hey flea, you asleep?"

Fuck peace, violence was more fun.

"No, Shizu-chan. I'm dreaming of fucking you on an ocean shore while Tsuki-chan watches some television in a nearby house."

"…"

"Mmm…"Izaya wiggled grinding his hard on against the mattress a bit as he moved. "Not so rough…"

"…W-we could do that here…"

Oh my~ "Oh my~ Shizu-chan, you are not insinuating we ruin Shinra-san's precious guest room by having sex, are you?"

A body crawled onto bed before the man's mouth was nipping his ear, making his problem down under worse. "Nope. I won't touch you like that until you admit it to me and not take it back."

"I technically never said-"

"Have fun taking care of this," he grabbed the informant's hard on and stroked one long, languid, amazingly awesome, just warm as hell, and-

"I'll be here if you need me I-za-ya-kun~" The brute curled up behind him and Izaya shut his eyes, wishing many deaths upon the blond's head.

~.~

"Woohoo! A whole week and no rampant fights destroying my apartment!" Shinra laughed as he walked into the guest room. "I think we should celebrate this!"

"I agree Shinra, get me some decent food, I think I may be going into depression," Izaya looked over at him from where he sat and Shinra shook his head.

"Nope! You still need to stick to your diet."

"Oh, Shinra! Calling me fat! How offensive," the informant pouted.

"Please, you should have started dieting years ago."

Shizuo snickered before the doctor looked over at him, "I swear, you both enjoy being opposites of one another. Izaya has low sugar levels, Shizuo's are high. Izaya has low calcium, Shizuo has enormously high levels."

"Sweets are gross, milk is nasty. Time for o-"

"I swear to all that's good, if you say sushi, I will not hesitate to whack you with my tablet, Izaya." Shinra glared at him before starting to pull off the wrappings. "Ah, what a great doctor you have! He managed to get you well into the healing process in just two weeks, one of which you spent completely asleep!"

"Oh, yes," Izaya nodded, "I have the most astounding doctor. He could have just about any woman he wants. Luckily for his wondrous wife that he loves her with all his scary little cannibalistic heart."

"Ah, but if I didn't have such psychotic, sadistic clients, I would not be where I am today."

"Oh Shinny~" Izaya cooed, "every time you speak it's like the world becomes just that much worse."

"Ah, but you should take some credit, Iza. You bring my wifey such grand little projects."

"Anything to keep the good doctor happy."

Both men fell silent as Shizuo stared at them both, frowning at bit at whatever the hell that was supposed to be.

"So how bad is the worst of it."

"Those ribs of yours need time. Your shoulder is healed wound wise, but needs time to regain muscle tissue lost. Your leg you need to stay off for a couple more weeks. We'll start some therapy after that and get you up and going again as soon as possible."

"Sounds a bit quick."

"I doubt you would listen to me if I suggested the most optimal course of treatment for you."

"And what would that entail?"

"Another two months, therapy spread out through a year, the thought being set into place that you might not be doing any parkour for another twelve to eighteen months."

Izaya shook his head, "you were right. I wouldn't listen to you if you recommended that."

"Shall we get to some experimental drugs then?" He swabbed the informant's arm with an alcohol pad and Izaya shrugged.

"Yep, just don't turn me green, Shinra. We don't need any more super strength people in the family."

"Hah," Shinra chuckled, "I won't, although extreme agony and haywire hormones, I can't promise about."

"Hu- SONOFA…" Izaya winced as Shinra covered the wound with a cotton ball and bandaged it over, grinning at both him and Shizuo.

"And with that, I release him to your fine care, Shizuo!"

Shizuo stood up and Izaya looked between the two of them. "Hmm?"

"Oh yes, Shizuo was supposed to break this to you. I need my wonderful little guest room." Shinra grinned, "just you know… enjoy his company a few weeks and you'll be all good to go."

"Wait," Izaya felt himself being lifted and found himself bridal style, in the blond's arms, "WAIT! SHINRA!"

"Bye~ be sure to write! Have a good time, Izaya!" Shinra waved and Izaya smirked at him.

"Thank you so much, Shinra! I can't wait for Celty to come over, I have this job, don't worry, it's just a little thing. It's always the little things, eh Shinra?"

"Dad!" Tsuki grabbed Shizuo's leg and beamed at them both.

"Ready to go, Tsukishima?"

"Yep?"

"Did Celty check your things?"

Tsuki nodded and Shizuo pulled the boy along, leaving the good doctor's home. Celty wandered from her place on the couch and paused before said doctor.

[Shinra? Are you alright?]

"Yes, but let's not answer the phone for Izaya for a while, okay? He's in a very fragile state."

[Really? He looked kind of angry.]

"He found out he'll be off his leg for a few weeks." Shinra sighed, "I just try so hard for both him and Shizuo, maybe if I was a better friend, I would have found him sooner and he wouldn't have to be off his feet for so long…" He looked away before finding the dullahan hugging him. She typed with one hand and put the phone in front of his face, continuing the hug.

[You did your best. I'm proud of you.]

"Oh Celty! You always know just what to say." He hugged her back and hid his grin. Sometimes he knew just why Izaya was one of his best friends.

~.~

**_A/N: What happened to ending at chapter 40? _**

**_..._**

**_Let's not ask those kind of questions. They leave me quite frazzled. _**

**_Leave a little something below, just to let me know that I've done alright. Let's see Denial! Izaya turn things around. Or possibly Seducing! Shizuo. *murdered by vending machine*_**


	42. Chapter 42

It was uncontrollable.

Anyone who would be able to share a bit of understanding as to his feelings coursing though him would know that it was just hormones. It wasn't _him_ that was in the driver's seat. Unfortunately, the world was being a jerk and lacking of people to that regard. Instead, Izaya found himself biting his tongue, tasting copper as he tried his damnedest _not _to grind into the bartender holding him.

It was completely pathetic.

Cowardly, sad, and just plain boring; he was holding everything in just to save a child about nine or so years of innocence. Instead, he could be pounding the blond into the pavement and proving just who was the dominant one in the relationship.

…that would be Izaya.

"-om?"

"Hmm?" Izaya looked over his shoulder at the small boy, "you say something?"

"He's been chattering on for about ten minutes now," Shizuo frowned down at him and Izaya shrugged.

"Lost in thought. You were saying Tsuki-chan?"

"So are you and dad getting married?"

Izaya looked down at the young boy a moment before laughing his head off, earning them a few concerned glances from passing people. "Of course not! Why would Shizu-chan and I do that? We ha-"

"Izaya and I will think about it." Shizuo intercepted.

"And by that he means no."

"And just why not, flea?"

"Oh Shizu-chan, I have a certain reputation to maintain. You're just such an easy target for my slightly boring clientele."

"Bul-" Shizuo stopped himself and glared at the surroundings, their surroundings getting closer and closer to home. It was pretty amusing to watch him try to contain all that anger. Then again, it was slightly annoying. If Shizu-chan didn't have the vent time that he personally created for the man, how else would he release such anger?

Good question.

…Izaya really didn't want to consider what his hormones had for a solution. True, Shizuo would probably not mind in the least but…

He just couldn't do it.

He couldn't just give up on the game they had spent the last few years working at. He couldn't just abandon everything he had built for himself as an independent just to play house with the blond.

It just didn't sit right with him.

"-om, you're not listening again."

Izaya shook his head and looked around only to frown, they had gotten home fast. Tsuki stood in front of him as Shizuo set him down on the couch.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am."

Tsuki stared at him a moment before climbing into his arms. Izaya nuzzled against his son and shut his eyes, trying to relax. The calm settled over him, letting him hug Tsuki and bury his face into his mop of hair. Even Tsuki smelled like Shizu-chan now.

Everything was going up in flames for his plans.

That unpredictable monster was ruining every plan, every sudden plotline, every twist he would make. It was getting to the point of screaming, of lashing out in a rash and unpremeditated manner.

Tsuki rolled over and hugged him back, smiling as if the world was just a pocket full of sunshine. As if the idea of the informant and the debt collector living under the same roof was as natural as the sun coming up in the dawn.

What a strange and unusual child…

"Mom…"

"Mom, mom, mom; if I didn't know better, I would say you were picking on me Tsuki-chan." Izaya grinned down at him and Tsuki wiggled around under him, trying to get eye contact.

"Vatti, do you really hate dad?"

Shizuo was tinkering around in the kitchen, no doubt trying to cook. Could Shizu-chan cook? Izaya almost frowned at the thought as he went into answering the boy's question. "Tsuki-chan, what have I told you about personal questions?"

"Not to eat sweets after dinner."

Izaya stared at him, trying to look bemused and failing miserably. "and what, may I ask, do sweets or dinner have to do with personal questions?"

"You said personal, questions about dad then would be personal, dad is cooking dinner."

Simple. Why had Izaya even asked such a silly question? "Tsuki-chan~ you know what I meant~." He forced the boy to lay back and puffed up his cheeks, setting his face on the boy's belly and blowing hot air through his shirt, making Tsukishima squirm.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Izaya pulled back and grinned, "what's the matter? Are you cold? Not to worry, vatti will warm you up." He repeated the hot spot technique and Tsuki shrieked and giggled under him, squirming harder.

"It's not fair~! You never answer the fun questions!"

"Too bad. I never answer questions about Shizu-chan." Another hot spot, this time on Tsuki's shoulder, making wrinkle his nose and squirm.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP! It's not fair!"

"Too bad~"

"VATTIIIIIIIIIII!"

Izaya smiled down at him, laughing, "Tsuki, Tsuki, Tsuki…" He shook his head, "~ Tsuki."

"Vatti. Vattivattivatti," the boy mimicked.

"What's up?"

"You're mean."

"What?" Izaya gasped, "I? A mean person?"

Tsuki nodded and Izaya leaned back, pouting.

"How could this be? Why in the world would I be so mean! How?"

Tsuki shrugged, adjusting his glasses a moment before Izaya took them off and set them on the table. "Vatti I nee-"

"NOMNOMNOM~"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Tsuki squealed louder as Izaya pretended to eat him.

"Oh, my goodness, Tsuki-chan is delicious!"

"No! No eating me~!" Tsuki pushed at his face and Izaya grinned against the hand, pretending to nom on it instead. "NOOOOOOOO! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD~!"

"Need some help?"

Izaya looked up, his carmine eyes glinting in mischief, "oh Shizu-chan, I was just eating the baby. Would you be so kind as to fetch me the teriyaki sauces?"

"I hear children taste good with ketchup."

Izaya turned his gaze to Tsuki and wrinkled his nose, "your father likes western food too much. Ew, like kechup covered Tsuki-chan sounds any good."

"I vote we not eat me." Tsuki smirked a bit as he spoke, trying to slip through Izaya's arms.

"Not eat you, but then what would we have for dinner? Shizu-chan can't cook!" Izaya couldn't see the blond cooking, at least not well.

"Dad can cook!" Tsuki looked to the blond pleadingly and Shizuo shook his head.

"If Izaya says I can't… he is the informant here-"

"No!" Tsuki pulled out of Izaya's arms and ran behind Shizuo, peeking out from behind his legs, "No eating me!"

"What do you think Shizu-chan? Maybe wrapped in seaweed with a nice saucer of wasabi?"

"Maybe ootoro on the side."

Izaya laughed, "I would never be able to finish my Tsuki-chan if we had ootoro on the table."

"More for me then."

Izaya pouted more, "so mean~ Shizu-chan needs to share."

Tsuki sprinted off towards his room, not wanting to be eaten. Both adults laughed up until the boy returned. "Forgot my bag…" He frowned looking around and Izaya handed him his glasses. "Thanks vatti."

"Mhmm."

"No eating me!" Tsuki turned and ran to his room a moment before Izaya shook his head laughing softly.

"That's my Tsuki-chan." Shutting his eyes, Izaya just sat there, smiling to himself as he savored the moment of entertainment. Messing with Tsuki-chan was just so much fun at times. Of course Tsuki would probably mope around about it and he would have to give a half-hearted apology later, but oh well.

Completely worthwhile.

Enjoying his moment, Izaya didn't notice the shuffling of feet, the dipping of the leather couch, or the warm breath against his face. No, he was completely vulnerable when the blond leaned in and kissed him.

He did at least notice that. It was not like he could ignore it. His eyes snapped open as he felt his hormones spiral into a colossal mass of heat, expanding out from his chest. Suddenly, his home was too warm, too crowded. He felt like he should shed his clothes, bare himself to the elements so that he could get relief. He wanted to push Shizuo away from him. Get some air…

The thought of pushing Shizuo away though…

His hands latched onto the ex-bartender's shirt, practically destroying the front of it as his hands ripped the two sides away from each other. He felt his shirt being slid upwards, creating a sweeping cold front in the humid space.

He looked up at Shizuo and found him hesitating.

"…"

"You can't count this as rape, flea."

"Oh Shizu-chan, you assume so much." Izaya forced his hormones into check and pushed him away, leaning back against the couch. "Shoo shoo. I have recovering to do and people to chat with later online."

"What happened to eating Tsuki?"

"Shizu-chan, holding and messing with Tsuki has cost me all my energy. I'm not in the mood to play house with you."

"Fine." The blond collapsed next to him, rolling so that Izaya would only get his back.

"…What are you doing?"

"Taking a nap. Carrying your lardass back to the house was tiring, plus unlike someone I got to listen to our son give a twenty minute lecture on why humans are interesting."

"Ah, he becomes more like me with each day."

The blond rolled around and held him to his chest.

"…Shizu-chan, personal space."

The blond remained unmoving, keeping his eyes shut as if dozing.

Izaya poked at him, "Move! You're heavy and breathing all down my neck."

"…"

Nothin'.

Izaya sighed, looking up at the ceiling and frowning. His chest was warm, feeling as though there was something slithering underneath. The urge to crawl over the blond and wrap himself in the blond's heat sounded-

Shit, he was horny…

~.~

**_A/N: Withholding yaoi? Calm calm, Christmas is coming! We shall have two glorious yaoi scenes in this and Cursed By Moonlight! HOW BOUT THEM LEMONS!_**

**_…yeah, I know. It just seems like such a long wait…_**

**_R-E-V-I-E-W~_**

**_Or the bunnies… they are cruel, running away with story ideas…_**


	43. Chapter 43

Izaya laid there for what seemed like eternity. He stared up at the ceiling and just felt the rush of his hormones. Thoughts of what he could, should do to the ex-bartender next to him sped through him. He be all means could get away with it.

It would be so easy…

He leaned over, resting against the blond. His chest wounds were healed for the most part, if he was careful, he could masturbate next to the blond and go straight to sleep. The broken leg would make it impossible to run, but he could always blame the sex smell on his wounds.

Like Shizuo had any inkling of what the scent was…

Izaya propped the cast covered leg on the coffee table, straddling the dozing man. He looked down and reached to his crotch, stroking long and hard. He squeezed at a tender point. The feeling of precum made itself known as he worked.

The blond looked so peaceful… so calm… like there was nothing in the world that could possibly ruin this moment. Izaya could hardly stand it. He leaned over, ignoring the slight discomfort, and kissed at his neck. He held the man's head reverently as he kissed and nibbled a path up the man's neck, along his jaw, his hand tightening in the mass of blond hair. The strong feelings of affection welded up inside him. He couldn't stop them as he murmured against the man, repeating his name over and over.

All the while, his wounded shoulder's hand touched him at his rear, splitting the two cheeks apart and entering him. He moaned softly as he reached in deeply, trying to get where the blond could go without trouble.

His fingers were not long enough though.

A frown made itself known a moment before Izaya pouted. He was so frustrated. He needed the relief. He needed the blond, but…

"Izaya~"

A pair of carmine eyes widened in shock as Shizuo looked up at him, amused. "Having fun?"

"W-what are you doing awake?"

"I've been awake a while."

"I'm hungry!" Izaya threw the comment out like a shield, like he had been pretending to be horny the whole time. His mask must have been dropped though.

Shizuo rolled them over, hooking the cast to the couch so that Izaya was still spread open, his hand still up his own butt. "I guess I'll just have to fill you then."

"Wha-" Izaya clamped his mouth shut as Shizuo thrust straight into him. He went far beyond the distance that the informant had reached. He went beyond what Izaya remembered as he slid right upon that sweet spot inside of him.

The moan the blond heard, neither could be sure it hadn't been them. Perhaps it was them both. Whatever the case, there were no complaints as Shizuo started to move. He rocked his hips back and forth against the informant, creating a smorgasbord of sounds from the informant.

"Shush, Izaya~" Shizuo feigned concern, "can't have Tsuki-"

"Fuck…Shizu-chan… hurry up… faster…" The informant bounced against the man's hard on, taking it in more and more. He moaned, the sound like ecstasy to the blond.

Shizuo wasn't going to even think about it. He let his actions be controlled by his instincts. He moved against the man, going in as far as he could, as fast as he could, before pulling out almost all the way.

The speed was getting to them both.

Izaya was just so aroused, his arms wrapping around the blond. He murmured the man's name again and again and again. He shut his eyes as he felt that edge coming closer and closer. He was not going to be able to last much longer.

Fortunately for his pride, he felt the blond cum first.

The informant's name was ripped from his lips as Shizuo came. He was in to the hilt as his seed poured out of him, flooding the informant's senses.

Izaya clawed his chest as he soon followed after.

Their senses were in overdrive as their climaxes went, it was beyond any high, beyond anything else. It was invincibility. It was pure abyss of contentment.

It was like nothing before.

And as that high went, leaving the informant with no strength, no single ability to stay conscious, Shizuo heard those words once more from the informant. Those words that sent Shizuo straight into the greatest dream-state of them all, leaving him in pure bliss.

"I love you, Shizu-chan…"

~.~

_** A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS!**_

_** Review!**_


	44. Chapter 44

"Dad?"

The blond was drifting in his nothingness, thinking about nothing in particular and enjoying the relaxing dawn that drifted in through the windows.

"Dad? Dad, can you get up and make me food?"

Something tugged at him and Shizuo swatted at the shaking, curling around the small warm body against him. His head dove into the soft locks of hair that smelled like some floral, sweet scent. He loved it. The scent lured him deeper and deeper in, his body wrapping tightly around the small person in his arms.

"I'm hungry…"

"Come back later. I'm busy."

"Vatti… Vatti…"

Why did he know that voice? Shizuo opened his eyes and looked up to find Tsuki shaking the informant in his arms. Izaya being comple-

SHIT!

Shizuo grabbed the informant and tumbled from the bed, taking the informant and the bedsheets with him as they went to the floor. He blushed deeply at the scene the boy had come in on. The scent of a pleasurefilled night was still in the air, for goodness sake!

"Shizu-chan with ootoro all over him," the informant cooed in his sleep. "what a brilliant idea."

"Izaya, get up." Shizuo shook the brunet and ignored the images that came to mind.

"I'm gonna suck… and lap up all the…" the informant tossed and turned in his sleep as Tsuki stared at them.

"Tsuki, go pick out something for breakfast. Your mom and I need to get up."

"…okay." Tsuki walked out and Shizuo resumed shaking the informant.

"Tsuki-chan! Let your vatti sleep~ we'll have breakfast later."

"Flea, Tsuki just caught you naked in bed with me! Wake up!"

"nnnghhh…" Izaya punched at him weakly before rolling over.

Shizuo growled before thinking of something. Leaning over he rested near the informant's ear and murmured softly, "Izaya, I think Tsukishima saw us fuck last night."

Of course, he probably should have thought that idea through. The informant's eyes snapped open a moment before the man started to punch him. Taken aback, Shizuo fell onto his back as the informant pounded on him. He didn't speak, just kept hitting him over and over. Shizuo hissed at the throws and captured the informant's hands, keeping him from attacking anymore.

"What the hell was that?"

"Stupid, protozoan! Tsuki better not be brain damaged from seeing your filthy ass."

Shizuo stared at him, "I wasn't even serious…"

The informant huffed at him before laying down against the ground. His head cradled into his arms. "Jerk, waking me up from a good dream…"

"Oh yeah?"

A side glance, and Izaya was getting up, "Sorry Shizu-chan. I don't play house. Where's Tsuki-chan?"

"In the kitchen."

"The kitchen?"

"Yeah, I told him to find something for us to eat."

"TSUKI!" Izaya went sprinting from the room and Shizuo chased after him in a rush.

"IZAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

~.~

"It's beautiful," Erika cooed, "like a double rainbow~. They come together only when they have the chance. They stick to the shadows of this city, alleyways, bus stops, bathrooms, IzaIza's place," she leaned into Walker's lap and smirked, "they would go to Shizu's but his place is dirty."

Tsuki cleared his throat, "they were sleeping together this morning in Vatti's room."

"Tsuki you shouldn't have tol-"

"THEY WERE?" Erika grabbed the boy's shoulders, beaming, "what were they doing? Who was on top? Is it Shizaya or Izuo? Do they switch roles?"

"Dear lord, Erika, let the kid go."

Tsuki blinked, confused. "They were sleeping, like I said."

"ARGHHHH!" Erika groaned in aggravation. "That's not what I meant!"

"He's five, Erika. Give the kid a break."

"I turn six in a month," Tsuki argued, although, not quite sure why.

"TSUKI!" A voice roared from the other room.

"IZAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Another voice hollered out and Erika squealed, pulling out her phone and darting to the doorway.

"Yesssssssssssss~ Gonna get some yaoi. Merry holidays to me." She poked her head around the corner and her phone started to click like mad.

Walker and Tsuki frowned, "Why's she taking pictures of them?"

"I thought she had enough of them chasing each other too." Walker peeked around the corner and pulled the other otaku back a moment before slamming the kitchen door shut. His face went several shades of red before turning pale, "…ew."

"It was so…so… beautiful… real life yaoi… I got it all on film…. All of it…" Erika wiped at her bleeding nose and leaned against Walker, "and you saved me, Walker. You protected me. Oh Walker, my fellow in arms. The ying to my yang." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "I swear, I'm going to pay for our next trip to get supplies. We'll go get some brilliant Baccano stuff."

"Do I want to know what you are going to do with those pictures?" Walker frowned at her.

"Cherish them, just as those two will that moment for all eternity." She closed her eyes and nuzzled the other otaku fondly, "I will cherish the moment forever as the moment my lovely knight in shining armor saved me from the wrath of closet yaoi."

"Erika…We should probably leave."

"Yes we should. We should leave immediately." She hugged the man and Walker turned red, looking away before focusing back in on Tsuki.

"You alright on your own for a few?"

"Yeah. I forgot to mention you two were here." Tsuki smiled at him nervously. "What is vatti and dad doing?"

"They were uh…"

"They were in the nude~ They're ding a lings swinging in the wind like beautiful sakura branches in a summer's br-"

Walker covered her mouth as Tsuki blushed, "they were what?"

"She means to say is that Izaya was wearing the bedsheets around his waist and Shizuo was just trying to stop him from running and falling over, but they both ended up falling down anyway apparently. Well, it's been swell Tsuki-san, enjoy the anime we brought you. Hetalia was fun, but you'll like FullMetal Alchemist a lot too."

"Ignore his show and watch my anime Mawaru Penguindrum. There are penguins that cure disease." Erika broke free of the other's grasp and led him through the other door, slamming it shut behind them as they headed to the front door.

Tsuki looked at the cases before hearing voices. He glanced at the other door and sneaked over, listening.

"Damn flea, you were about to run naked into a room with our kid. And you were after me about brain damaging him."

"Bullshit. I had… oh… well… I suppose my birthday suit was what he saw me in when he was born so it's okay."

"Tch, think again."

"…coming up with the same answer. Try another question."

"So it's okay if I just waltz in there naked and hug him."

"WHAT KIND-MPH"

"_You idiot! He's in that room right there! Keep it down!_"

"Well go put some damn clothes on then."

"Fine." The sound of movement went shortly before-

"…We're tangled in the computer wires, aren't we?"

"Wonderful informant skills there, flea."

"Hold on, I can get us out."

"Stop it, you're making it worse. We need to go through this wire and then-"

"Shizu-chan! You just made my hand go on your groin!"

"Well stop moving then!"

More shuffling…

"…are you petting me Shizu-chan?"

"…No-"

"Liar."

"It's the damn wire."

"Mhmm. Blame it on my computer, you aren't jealous of how soft my hair is. It's called conditioner, Shizu-chan. It comes in a bottle right next to the shampoo."

"I know what it is! …fucking louse."

"mhmm…"

"…You're petting me."

"_it's the wire, Shizu-chan~_"

"Bullshit."

"Language! I will not have my son saying shit like that."

"You just said shit."

"It's excusable for me, but honestly Shizu-chan! He's our son…what?"

"You said our son."

"Yes, he technically shares our dna."

"That's the first time you've said our when talking about Tsukishima seriously."

"Slip of the tongue… Shizu-chan! Look what you'v- Mmph!"

Tsuki leaned closer to the door, trying to hear more even though he didn't want to disturb them.

"Shut up for five seconds flea."

"If…ngh, if you'd-gah! Stop touchINg there! You're going to attract Tsuki-chan's attention!"

"I would call someone over to watch him, but the phone is on the other side of the roo-"

"No babysitters."

A low chuckling came, "Kasuka would watch over him-"

"Oh yeah, he only tried to kill him three times."

A soft thud came just befor Tsuki heard a… moan?

"If Tsuki is always here, we won't be able to…"

"…to what? Fuck? You think we should be doing that? I don't think so. We had our fun. It's been real fun, Shizu-chan, but this game is done. We played, it wasn't that good. Good enough characters, but it had a terrible storyline."

"Well then, I think I've come up with a sequel game-"

"Nope. No dice."

"I don't think you can run from this one."

"Watch me…"

"…I'm waiting…"

"I was thinking Shizu-chan, you need to be working. How are we to afford anything with you unemployed?"

"I work from home."

"Body guarding from home? How well does that wor-"

A cellphone rang and Shizuo cursed.

"Wonderful. That colorful language will be great around Tsuki."

"That's probably Tom. Damn it. I forgot I was going to meet up with him today."

"Were you now?"

"Hey, at least I wasn't trying to run in a damn cast!"

"Right… It's kind of sore, now that you mention it…"

"It's probably swelling."

"Yeah…"

"…idiot."

"The pot and the kettle."

"Huh?"

"It takes one to know one, ne?"

"No. You're an idiot."

"Everyone is an idiot. You either don't know, know what you don't know, or you don't care about what you don't know."

"…How the hell did you make it in here without collapsing?"

"Well, you were chasing me. That was good incentive to make it to my destination."

"I see that worked out."

"Shizu-chan, my leg hurts. Make the pain stop~"

"And just how am I supposed to do that? I can't mov-"

"Don't even think about breaking these wires. Otherwise you are going shopping for new ones."

"If I haven't ripped them apart, I don't think I'm going to be doing that, flea."

"Good."

"…What the hell am I supposed to do then?"

"…Um…"

"Well, I-za-ya-kun?"

"…"

"…Flea, does that turn you on?"

"Shizu-chan, you've been rubbing there for about twenty minutes now. Your hand is just cold."

"Poor Izaya-kun~"

"I don't like that face. I think you should stop making that face."

"Or what?"

"I could do this."

Tsuki frowned, what was he doing to dad? It wasn't bad was it? Walker had said they were a rough pair, always fighting.

…maybe he should just check up on-

"I knew you liked it."

"Shut up."

"I love you Izaya."

"Stop saying stupid things. There's no such thing as love."

"Oh yeah?"

"Nope, it's just a human function that spurs a great sense of belonging. It prevents depress-"

The sound of a long, loud moan went through the building before Tsuki heard Shizuo speak.

"I really don't care."

"Oh, well that contradi-"

"I love you anyway, you flea."

"That's highly unromantic of you."

"Says the man I'm tied up to."

"Shizu-chan~! My leg still hurts."

"Stay off it, here-"

'Shizu-NO-"

A loud bump went through the place before-

"Well that worked a bit then-"

"Shizu-chan, you're balls are in between my legs. Do tell, just how does this work?"

"Your leg is elevated."

"It's on your shoulder, which, I must say is making my other leg uncomfortable… What?"

"I think I know what might-"

"No. I don't think so, we got into this uncomfortable position because of you."

"Shut up! Just lift this…"

"…I hate you so much right now."

"Your leg feels better though, doesn't it?"

"…Oh Shizu-chan~ always after my poor injured body. You just wanna fuck me into the ground, don't you?"

"Shut up!"

"My poor virtue~ it's a wonder I don't have a dozen children by now."

"Shut UP!"

"Ooh, losing his temper now~"

"You're right. Let me make it up to you."

"No than-Mmmph!"

Tsuki sat down and yawned, bored. Those two were confusing. Why would they play in the living room before breakfast? That didn't make sense. Besides, what were they even talking about?

Eh, parents were confusing.

He looked down as his stomach growled and went to the pantry, pulling out some instant ramen. He doubted those two were going to come back. He turned the facet on low so not to bother to duo and waited until the water was hot, sticking the bowl underneath. He set it on the table and pulled out his sketchbook. Flipping the pages to his drawing for Izaya; he was getting somewhere on it finally.

It didn't help with dad looking over his shoulder like he was some genius.

He bent over his work and paused a moment later to grab Izaya's music player. Maybe he would listen to some Mushin… or was it called Russian? Oh well, he was going to listen to Vatti's confusing music again.

It still didn't sound like words to him…

~.~

Izaya moaned underneath the blond. "Shiz…Shizu-chan…st-t-top…"

"I love you Izaya…"

"I get i-"

"I love you."

"Shizu-chan…" Izaya felt his face burn a moment before he squirmed, trying to get some air, get some distance. He just needed a moment of ai-

_Thump._

Shizuo's face went pale as he hissed, leaning against the informant as he bit his lip.

Izaya looked down and blinked, "Oh, I just kicked your balls, didn't I?"

~.~

_**A/N: ^o^/ Filla~ Filler for the fans~ -confetti here- **_

_**Gotta love that denial, those pesky wires… Erika.**_

_**The reviews are wondrous. Thanks peeps, please continue.**_


	45. Chapter 45

"Oh, I just kicked your balls, didn't I?"

Those two weren't going to be in the kitchen for a while. Tsuki sat down at the table and rubbed at his arm for what had to have been the thousandth time. The swelling was back again…

"No… You… kicked …a telephone pole."

"I wouldn't call it a telephone pole, more like a small package. It's like a small slice of ootoro."

"…hate…you…"

"Well so much for the I love yous."

"…"

They were like children! Was it so hard just to say three words and open up to someone. Vatti would always be open to him. And dad was willing to be kind to him

What was it that made them fight with one another?

"Ow…" Jumping down from his seat, Tsuki went to the fridge and pulled out an ice pack. Better to let the ice kill the pain than wear that itchy thing Shinra gave him. It's not like anyone remembered the injury.

~.~

"We… should yell for Tsuki…"

"Yes, let's leave the impression of our balls in our son's mind. That's a great idea."

The blond was hiding his face against his shoulder, "…"

"What?"

The man shook his head, his body slipping down his person. Izaya went a bit pale as he realized their position was changing a bit, his legs somehow moving a bit more apart. "Maybe we should call Tsuki. TSUKI-CHANNNN!"

The house remained silent as Shizuo moved lower yet.

"TSUKI!" His voice wavered a bit more, much to his distress.

The sound of the fridge opening made the blond shake in mirth as Izaya tried to fully comprehend just what the heck that meant. He listened to the sound of something being poured a moment before, "Dad? Do you want a glass of milk?"

WHAT THE-

"NO THANKS TSUKI!" Shizuo glanced up at him a moment before taking the brunet's erection into his mouth. The half mast staff waking up. It was crazy! It was insane. He was not going to-

The feeling of Shizuo's hand wrapping around his balls made him suck in a breath, staring across the room as he tried to think of every single reason for this not being a good idea.

Reason one, Shizuo is holding his balls. One good squeeze and he would be impotent.

Reason two, Shizuo is an- Oh dear lord, he's deep throating. Izaya felt the moan pass through his lips as he banged his head against the desk, trying to stop himself from going into a completely aroused state.

Reason three…

Reason…

Deeper, Shizuo. Tighter! Suck it in, take it…

Shizuo. Shizuo. Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

Shizuo. Shizuo.

"Shizuo. Shizuo. Shizuo. Shizuo. Shizuo," The name was coming forth from himm without his knowledge. He couldn't think anymore. It was too much energy. The only thing…

"Uh…"

Shizuo's eyes snapped open as Izaya second-mindedly glance towards the sound of the other voice. Both men stared at the boy in the doorway, mocha eyes staring in horror as crimson eyes were glazed over in bliss.

"Tsuki…" Shizuo pulled away and covered the private parts from his view. "Wh-what are you doing in here?"

He held up a box. "I want pancakes… why are you both in the computer wires?"

"You mom and I were…"

"Tsuki, please call Namie-chan to make you pancakes. Shizu-chan and I are in the middle of something…"

"Computer wires?"

"Tsuki, ignore that. I'll make you pancakes in a minute."

"Not if my balls have anything to say about it," Izaya found himself hissing.

The blond merely looked up at him evilly, "consider it revenge for kicking my nads."

"Shizu-SHIZU-CHAN! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?" Izaya saw the wires break a moment before his cast covered leg hit the floor. Shizuo stood up and grabbed the nearby couch's blanket, wrapping it around his waist.

"How many pancakes do you want, Tsuki?" The ex-bartender moved away and Izaya sat in the middle of his broken wires.

"Five."

"Five? How are you going to eat all of that?"

"By putting syrup all over it and sticking it in my mouth."

"Shit~" Izaya captured both the blonds' attention as he feel to his side, the mental image of something not pancakes going through that with Shizuo going through his head.

"Is vatti-"

"He's fine," Shizuo said quickly, "so five pancakes then?"

"Uh…yeah…"

The floor, it was freezing. He needed… Ugh, he had no idea. Izaya half crawled, half inched his way over to his room. He had to go to the bathroom…

And get dressed…

And kiss… no, no! Kill! He had to kill Shizuo.

First though, he needed pants.

~.~

"Dad, someone is knocking on the door."

Shizuo glanced over before looking down at himself. Maybe he should… "Alright, I'll go answer it in a second. Stay here and finish your food."

"Okay."

Shizuo made his way down the hallway and snatched up his pants, watching the informant inch the final few inches into the bathroom. "Stupid proto-"

"Izaya, we have guests."

"No one is invited in!"

"You left your pants in the living room." Shizuo smirked as he dumped the pants drawer of the informant's into a laundry basket and carried it out. "You might just want to wait here."

He balls still hurt from being kicked…

~.~

_**A/N: …fan…art… O.O Did someone say they wanted to make fan art? **_

_**[insert unintelligible cheering and squealing here]**_

_**-hugs reviewers- Ich leibe dich! Bitte, review!**_

_**And if you want to make fan art, leave me a link to it so I can have more fangasm moments. XD**_


	46. Chapter 46

"I'm coming. I'm coming!" Shizuo walked towards the door and opened it only to freeze.

"Excuse m- Mr. Heiwajima." The officers at the door froze, their eyes popping out in horror at who was answering the door. Shizuo stared back at them. Of all the times for Izaya to finally get on the police's radar.

"Can I help you?" His fingers gripped the doorframe hard enough to become embedded in the frame. The men both stood rooted to the spot, not daring to speak. Their gaze went transfixed upon the iron grip as their minds wandered back to what every sorry soul of the police and criminal force and citizen knew about this man…

Do _NOT _piss him off.

Finally, one spoke up, his voice small as if he were speaking to the Holyness himself. "We are looking for the man that owns this apartment named Nakura. We have reason to believe he killed several people on the coast of Russia."

It sounded horrible when they said it aloud. Shizuo's gaze grew darker as the man spoke, his fingers creating a great cracking sound as the doorframe became damaged. Bits and pieces of the frame crumbled to the floor like shredded paper.

"And you think I would just let someone like that into my fucking home…"

The men blanched, "We don't believe that at all! We did research and know that this apartment was bought by a Mr. Nakura."

"Nakura is not an uncommon name."

"We didn't mean to impose! We just have to find this man since we have the Russian cops in town demanding this guy's hide!" The men were growing frantic, waving their arms in overly dramatic gestures.

"Dad? Who was at the door?" Tsuki bounced out of the kitchen and sprinted over to Shizuo, hugging his leg and looking at the men.

The police looked down at him and sighed, smiling at the boy. "Well hello there."

"Such a cute kid. He looks just like you, Mr. Heiwajima."

Shizuo tched, "anything else you need?"

"N-n-no. Nothing."

"We apologize for bothering you."

The first police officer turned when the other grew a bit bold. He knelt down, coming into equal height to Tsuki and smiling a bit more, "Where's your mommy at?"

Tsuki hid a bit behind Shizuo's legs and looked at him warily, "Izaya is in dad's bedroom."

Both men froze, their eyes becoming the size of saucers. They stared at Tsuki in complete and utter shock.

"Izaya… Izaya Orihara…"

"Orihara Izaya of Shinjuku, Izaya?"

Shizuo felt a vein twitch as Tsuki smiled brightly and nodded, "that's my mom!"

The men stared at them both. They stood and stared in a mixture of horror and shock. One crossed himself.

The one kneeling recovered and continued, much against the gestures to run from the other. "Are you sure? Izaya and Shizuo hate each other."

Tsuki shook his head, "mom and dad love each other."

"I think it's time we got going," the anxious police officer grabbed his partner and forced him into sprinting to the elevator, whacking the man as they got in. "ARE YOU FUCKING OUT OF YOUR MIND! IF THE KID HAS BOTH MEN AS HIS PARENTS, THEN YOU SHOULD FUCKING AVOID GETTING CLOSE! THEY'LL FUCKING KILL YOU _AFTER _THEY MAKE YOU WANT TO DIE!"

The elevator closed in the hallway with a ding before Shizuo sighed, looking down at his son, "you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Hmm?"

"Telling them that, you meant to scare them away."

"They were nice…" Tsuki turned and headed back to the kitchen, humming to himself as he went.

"SHIZU-CHAN! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO WITH ALL OF MY PANTS!" The sound of shuffling and the slamming of drawers filling the apartment.

"Izaya! You should be laying down!" Shizuo headed towards the bedroom and heard Izaya muttering to himself.

"Stupid, damn protozoan. Kicked him in the balls once and he's stealing my shit. Fuck, I know I have another pair somewhere around here… Ah! There… FUCK!" The sound of a loud thump went through the apartment before, "stupid cast. I can't even wear some pants. 'I love you,' he says, but then what does he do? Steal my pants. Tch, I must be turning into some kind of monster if I love that great brute."

Third time confessing, Shizuo was getting excited. He stood before the door for a long while, just listening to the informant shuffle around. It seemed like only moments, mere seconds before Tsukishima was there, tugging at his pants.

"Is it normal to not wear a shirt?" The boy pulled his own shirt off, his little scarf hanging loosely from his neck as he looked up at his father.

"Tsuki, I was- uh- waiting for Izaya relax." Shizuo opened the door hastely only to find the informant dozing on the bed.

"Vatti was sleepy." Tsuki headed inside their room and crawled onto the bed, abandoning his shirt to the floor outside the room. Shizuo could only smirk before grabbing a shirt from his bad in the corner and motioning Tsuki away from the informant. His gaze went to the cum splattered bathroom and back to Tsuki, "Tsukishima. Let's go get some milk from the store."

"Can we get pocky while we're there? And marble pop?" Tsuki shot up, moving away from the informant as he hurried over to his father.

"Only if you get your shirt on."

"Okay."

~.~

_"Mommy~!" The strangled, sobbing voice awakened Izaya. He groaned as he rolled over, his carmine eyes glaring at the crib on the other side of the room. He rolled over, grabbing the pink headphones from his nightstand and turning his music up. _

_ The kid was two and a half years old! Why wouldn't he just shut up?_

_ "Mommy!"_

_ "IT'S DAD! DAD!" He glared again at the crib before the damn nanny came in. _

_ "Herr Orihara?" She stood in the doorway and Izaya looked over at her. _

_ "What?"_

_ "Your son will die without your company."_

_ "I'm here. I never got that attention. He'll be fine."_

_ "It's been scientifically-"_

_ "Proven? If that's true then where were your parents?" The woman stared at him, wide-eyed. "The child over there has been draining on me for days. I went with your ideas and now I'm losing yet another night of sleep."_

_ "He just needs-"_

_ "I will not be requiring your services any further."_

_ The woman blanched, "I-"_

_ "Enough." Izaya smirked, "go back to your family and wealth." _

_ She ran through the house, the sound of slamming drawers and hurried footsteps going before, "I am leaving Herr Orihara!" The woman slammed the door and the sound of an engine and tires squealing from the front of the house were heard. _

_ "Mommy? …mama…" The sound of that small child's voice was low as he started to sob. The silhouette of small hands waving through the air. "mama…mama…"_

_ He hated that child. Be damned with the death of it. Shiki had had his chance. He had bought the nanny, useless as she was. He had paid for the birth of the child and the costs of food and housing. _

_ However, Izaya was not a mother. He was an informant. The only job that he needed was to provide information to the clients for a certain price. There was no way that he was going to do anything further for this leech. _

_ Yes, nine months of pain, agony, and hunger. The kid had sucked so much energy from him. So much fun._

_ This anger curled up in him. It coaxed what calmness in him that he had held. The second nature urge to troll this child would be useless. The kid was too young to understand. _

_ Slowly, Izaya reached into the crib, his hand wrapping around the baby's throat. He was so tempted. The look of those eyes in that face. The small, pathetic being. Izaya was a god. An almighty being among men; he was not going to be caregiver to this small bundle of death. The death of his ambition to reach Valhalla. His ambition…_

_ "Mama…" The child's small, weak hand brushed against his hand and the baby looked up at him with those glowing carmine eyes. The small demon looking up at the almighty god. The evil of this being reaching out to drag the goodness that was this informant. _

_ "I hate you." Hate… It was such a natural thing. It permeated the air around the informant. It decended upon the small boy. The demon of all evils. The baby created by a yakuza, made in a moment of hate sex between a devious troll and a monster. There was nothing that this boy would get. _

_ Izaya breathed deeply._

_ He would kill this child. He would destroy the monster like Shizuo's mother should have destroyed him. He would never let this child become any older. _

_ "mama… love you…" _

_ The first three words the child had known. Izaya remained frozen to the spot. His gaze wide as he slowly processed what had just been said. He… what?_

_ Izaya pulled his hand away from the boy's throat only to lift him from the crib. He carried the baby over to the window, the castle in the distance illuminated by the moonlight as well as the mountains. None of that interested him at the moment though, he stared at the boy quietly. _

_ "You don't even have a name. You're nothing. Just a nameless life, like so many feral things." Izaya opened the window, the night breeze drifting through, causing the curtains to flow in the air. "I could throw you out into the wilderness. No one would ever know. You would die out there. You could be eaten by wolves, attacked by bears…"_

_ The boy stared at him silently. _

_ "You could be snatched up by a large cat, taken to its den to be devoured. Perhaps a large bird could come snatch you up and take you to its nest to peck your eyes out."_

_ The stare continued._

_ "I would not care. I would laugh and return to my home. I would go back to my former life and forget all about you. You mean nothing to me."_

_ Slowly, the baby opened his mouth again and cooed up at him, his hands reaching out, "ma…ma…"_

_ "I am not your mother. I am your god. I am the difference between life and death for you."_

_ "mam…ma…"_

_ "Are you a lifeless doll, that all you can say is mama?" Izaya leaned against the windowsill and glared at the boy. _

_ "mama…love you…"_

_ This stirring in his feelings, in his emotions. It was ticking him off. He was not a mother! He was not going to take care of this infant any further…toddler… Hell, he didn't even care to look up how to be a parent! He didn't care!_

_ The boy reached out more, his strength a bit more than Izaya expected. "Mama…"_

_ Experimentally, Izaya let the little one get closer. His eyes remained rooted to the boy. He wrapped his arms around the informant as much as he could and pressed his mouth to the informant's chest. The feeling of his chest getting slobbered on as the baby tried to suckle his nipple made Izaya frown. Did he think that they were boobs? He was a man. Men do not have breast milk for babies. _

_ The child looked up at him, his small, still chubby hand touching his face. "ma…ma…" _

_ He just couldn't… Izaya stared at the boy, the moon going on high as he continued to stare at the baby._

_ "You are all alone, baby. The only person on your own little island in the middle of the Bavarian mountains," he lifted the child higher, letting both hands touch his face. "You don't feel lonely? You don't feel abandoned when I ignore you?" _

_ The baby looked up at him a moment before looking out the window, suddenly determined to touch the moon. _

_ "You can't touch the moon. You are trapped in your cage, baby. You are going to remain here in your isolated, island-like prison for the rest of your life."_

_ The child looked over at him again, his red eyes bright. _

_ "Tsukishima…" Izaya felt the name roll forth from him. He repeated the name over and over as he narrowed the distance between them both. His glare softened as he said the name. His anger dissipated. He just stared at the boy. _

_ It was as though by naming the child, he had let the boy become something more. Something actually worth becoming a part of his humans' lives. _

_ "Tsukishima, that is your name. You are the moon island. The boy who is only seen at night, but is trapped on your own island. Never to be known by the world. I wonder if you will cry about it when you are older? Will you long to be free? Will you wish for a knight in shining armor to save you?"_

_ "mama…" Tsukishima reached out and his small mouth managed to touch his cheek, giving him a small baby kiss. The string of saliva connecting his cheek to the boy's mouth, it… _

_ It was just…_

_ "Did you just give me a kissy?" Izaya rubbed his nose against the baby's, causing the boy to giggle. "Did you just give your god a kiss? Do you really think you deserve to kiss me?"_

_ "Mama…love you…"_

_ "You love me?" Izaya felt himself begin to shake. "You can't love me. You don't know what that means. You are just an infant. You don't understand the difference between hatred and love. You don't know what any of that means." _

_ Tsuki looked up at him and smiled. It was blinding in the moonlight. He was still so little, so weak… Izaya could throw him out a window. He could kill him. Just one slash across the child's throat and he would be no more. _

_ …but he was _smiling! _He was acting as though it was just brilliant to see him. As if… _

_ Izaya cuddled the child close to his chest as he shut the window. He rubbed the baby's back and cooed softly to him. "Does Tsukishima love me? Does Tsuki-chan want to sleep with me tonight?" He laid down under the electric blanket and the little boy snuggled against him._

_ "Love…mama…"_

_ "You love mama? Say vatti. I'm vatti."_

_ "Va..vaffi…"_

_ "So close." Izaya nuzzled the boy and watched as eyes fluttered closed His attention was absorbed on the boy. He just stared at him and stared. For hours… _

_ The sunlight drifted onto windowsill as Izaya eventually felt himself drift off to sleep, his arms wrapped around the boy protectively. Perhaps, just maybe…_

_ Maybe he should allow the boy to live a bit longer…_

_ ~.~_

"Tsuki?" Shizuo looked across the table as the boy was hard at work over his drawing. The boy looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"How's the drawing coming along?"

Tsuki turned the picture around, showing him. "I finally got the ini…ini…" he frowned as he tried to think of the word. "Well, I got the black and white stuff done like vatti taught me. Now I need to finish coloring."

The image made Shizuo snort, amused by what he saw. Izaya sat on his couch, moving a chess piece, Shizuo stood on the other side of the table, a vending machine in one hand as he smirked over at him. Tsuki was sitting in between them, looking at the board. The white pieces on Shizuo's side, the black pieces on Izaya's and random other pieces that clearly probably did not belong with the chess pieces being in the middle. The tension between himself and Izaya was evident as they smirked at each other teasingly.

"That's great."

"Mhmm," Tsuki turned the drawing around and continued his work, picking up the colored pencils. "Do you think we should have left vatti at home? He still is hur-" the boy paused a moment before wincing, effectively grabbing the blond's attention.

"Tsuki? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, my arm just hurts a little…"

"You arm- wait! What happened to your sling?" Why had he not realized this sooner?

"It's itchy and warm."

"Tsuki! Your arm needs to heal!" Shizuo stood up and tossed his fast food into a bag. "Come on, we should get to Shinra's."

"I don't want that cast back! It makes drawing hard."

"Tsukishima! You need to wear it. It's required, otherwise your arm might not heal right!"

"My arm is okay."

"Is it?" Shizuo looked down at him seriously.

"Well… Um…" Tsuki paused and rubbed his arm. "It may have swelled… and hurt…"

"Mhmm, come on. We're going to get another sling." Shizuo closed Tsuki's sketchbook and put it in his bag, placing it around his shoulder and leading him out.

"Wait! What are we going to tell vatti?"

Shizuo led the boy down the street and shook his head, "I'll figure that out when we get to that point." They hurried from one street to another, Shizuo eventually picking the boy up and carrying him on his shoulders.

"Dad? Why don't we take the train?" Tsuki looked at the advertisement for the train and Shizuo sighed.

"If we take the train, will you wear your cast?"

"…maybe…"

"Alright then. We can take the train."

Tsuki cheered as they headed to the station and purchased tickets. The train itself enraptured the small boy, his carmine eyes growing wide in excitement. "I love trains!"

"Do you?" Shizuo felt a small smile form as he let the boy down and followed him on board.

"Yeah, vatti and I rode the trains in Bavaria a couple times! Oh and we went to this castle that was built by this crazy Ludwig guy. Nushwin… Nushi… Well, I can't remember the name of it, but it was cool!"

"Maybe we'll all have to go together sometime."

"Yeah!" Tsuki sat down in a seat and swung his feet back and forth as the train started up. The conductor went about, ripping tickets in half and Shizuo watched as Tsuki held the ticket in his mouth after the man ripped it.

"…Tsuki? Why are you doing that?"

He pulled the ticket out and smiled, "vatti says the best way not to lose your ticket is to stick it in your mouth. No one can steal something on your face without you knowing." He stuck the ticket back in and Shizuo shook his head.

"The ideas that flea has…" Shizuo looked between the boy and his own ticket before sitting down next to him, sticking his own in. The duo sat as the train sped up and eventually Shizuo started to look at what few train goers were remaining in the compartment with him. His gaze froze on a familiar face. His blood running cold.

Vorona, was on the train.

~.~

_**A/N: I wrote… so much… and yet could not get to… yaoi… so so much… I just… -keels over- I'm just gonna… fantasize over what peeps are going to make fanart. Thank you Salieri, even though you are against Mozart. I find you now more awesome (Mozart was probably against Shizaya anyway, the mean face.)**_

_**Thank you 21lillian21 (…don't I say that all the time anyway?)**_

_**EvVieNiamhNyx –checking your review to ensure I spell correctly and having persona fangirling moment over the word Nyx in there- I hope that gives you a better picture of Tsuki's drawing. **_

_**-gets back to trolling- OH NOES! VORONA! WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE! What could possibly happen? –grins evilly- **_

_**-gives internet cookies to anyone knowing that castle- -because I'm a huge Germany fan- **_

_**R-E-V-I-E-W. –or something very bad might happen… like bad bad- **_


	47. Chapter 47

_From that night under the full moon, there in the mountains, Izaya found himself taking more and more care of the child. His time schedule blotted out his clients to a small timeframe. His German clientele found themselves seeing a small boy poking his head in the office, immediately scrambling at being caught. _

_And every time that this happened, the informant would go into a fit of laughter. This fit usually either scared or disturbed the clients, but even in Bavaria, the informant always had intel on everything. He was simply the best. _

_"Va-va-vaffi… I'm sowry…" Three years old and Izaya was more attached to his favorite toy than he would ever admit. _

_"You still have that speech impediment?" Izaya sighed, tossing the files in his hands onto a nearby table and paying no mind to how they fell to the floor. He bent down and looked at the boy seriously, "Tsuki-chan… why are you all dressed up?"_

_Tsuki wiggled in place, "I wanna p-pray in t-t-the shnow."_

_"You want to play in the snow?"_

_"Yes."_

_Izaya shook his head, "but your jacket doesn't cover your neck. You'll catch a cold and we will lose money because I'll be stuck taking extra special care of you."_

_"C-can ve cufer it?" Izaya fought the laughing fit at the child's way of talking. He didn't know just why he found it so amusing, but it was just… oh it was just so funny!_

_"I suppose I could make Tsuki-chan a scarf, but that would take me a day or two…" The informant pretended to mull it over, looking out the window, "but I don't know… Tsuki-chan might not want anything I actually _make _for him."_

_"No! NO!" Tsuki's small body collided with his and Izaya felt himself give an 'oof' as they fell to the floor. Tsuki looking down at him frantically, "I vant vaf-fi's shcarf!"_

_The small stuttering Japanese-Germanic accent was just so… Ugh, Izaya rolled them over and nuzzled the small boy, grinning like the madman everyone pegged him as. "Tsuki-chan is so cute I could just eat him!"_

_"Vhat-t?" Tsuki looked up at the man and Izaya's Cheshire grin widened._

_"Oh yes, I vill eat mein Tsuki-chan! Omnomnom~!" _

_"But you d-don't have anything to eat me with!" Tsuki squirmed underneath him and Izaya gave into his laughing fit, amused by yet another unpredictable moment from the boy. _

Slowly, the boy disappeared, the white ceiling of his apartment coming into view as Izaya felt himself slowly returning to reality. He looked around the room only to feel a pain hit his shoulder.

He was injured, right. That wonderful scuffle with Kasuka, he would have to make the actor regret that eventually. Nonetheless, Izaya found his interest piqued by the silence of the apartment. He listened for a sound, maybe the scratching of Tsuki drawing another picture of himself or Shizuo. The sound of the brute walking around the house, perhaps throwing something else he would need soon enough in a place he wouldn't find it. Nothing was heard though.

"Tsuki?"

…

"Shizu-chan?"

…

Well that was… quite frustrating. Izaya forced himself into a sitting position and ignored his heavy cast-covered leg as he made his way to the living area. Speckles of light glinted off the desks by the window, warming the living room. The coffee table wielding two glasses of what Izaya assumed was strawberry milk.

No people though.

He made his way through the room, using objects to keep his bad leg off the ground. The kitchen was similar to the living room. The stainless steel was bathed in sunlight. The kitchen table held dirty plates that should have been washed this morning. The stove had a dirty pan on it and the syrup had been left out, creating a puddle on the counter.

There were going to be words about this…

Especially not inviting him to wherever the blond duo had run off to.

Izaya sat down and looked around the table, fuming a bit.

…they could have at the very least made him some damn pancakes.

~.~

Vorona.

Shizuo was suddenly pissed. If it wasn't one damn thing, it was another. No doubt she had instigated the police visit this morning. She was becoming a big pain.

"Dad?"

Shizuo looked down at the boy and Tsuki looked up at him shyly, "do you think we should get something for vatti while we are out?"

"For Izaya… Yeah, sure. We should get him something." Shizuo found himself glaring daggers at the Russian. Her gaze returning to him several times as a small dark smile flitted across her features.

She was up to something.

"Dad? Are you okay?" Tsuki shrank into his seat a bit more.

"Huh?" Shizuo looked down before sighing, "yeah, I just see someone that your mom and I don't like."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Tsuki sat up as high as he could and glanced around at the handful of people still in the area. He frowned, "which one?"

"The blonde lady with the large chest." He was not going to say boobs.

"Oh…" Tsuki looked around and bounced in his seat for a moment before, "dad, can I go to the bathroom?"

"The wha- Tsukishima! You should have gone when we were having lunch!"

"I didn't have to go then, but I really REALLY have to go!"

"Can you wait until we get to the next station?" the bathrooms on the train weren't the most sanitary… actually, he wasn't even sure they had bathrooms on these trains...

"Bitte. Bitte. Bitte. I really gotta go."

"Tsuki, you may look outside this room for a minute, but if you don't see one within eyesight, you have to come back and sit with me until we get to a station." He wasn't going to let Tsuki out of his sight with Vorona in the area. Tsuki went scrambling from his seat heading towards the woman and passing her silently, the woman distracted with staring over at Shizuo. Tsuki looked outside the door to the compartment before coming back and sighing, "I don't have to go anymore."

"…What?"

Tsuki looked up at him and smiled, adjusting his glasses. "I don't have to go anymore."

"…okay then…" Shizuo would never understand the bladders of children. What kind of kid has to go one minute and the…n… "You didn't wet yourself, did you?"

"Huh?" Tsuki looked up at him shocked, "I haven't wet myself since I was four!"

"Oh…" Nope. Never understanding children.

The station came into view and Shizuo sighed as he found it to be their stop. "Come on, Tsuki, let's get you all fixed u-"

"AHHHHHHHGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" A screech sent every single person's view straight to the Russian policewoman, the woman on the ground, holding what looked like a terrible wound on her leg, a thin wire finally visible by the blood from her leg. Shizuo froze as he looked over at her a moment before looking down at Tsuki.

The boy looked over, ticket back in his mouth as he adjusted his scarf and watched the woman silently.

Had… that wire…

Tsuki pulled his ticket out of his mouth and looked at Shizuo curiously, "dad? Shouldn't we be going? My arm is hurting again."

"Y-yeah, let's go." Shizuo held the boy's hand as they headed out of the station and walked the last few blocks to Shinra's. His thoughts revolving around how the hell that woman had gotten hurt.

"…Dad?"

"H-huh?" Shizuo looked down.

"What's the matter?"

"I was trying to think of how that woman had gotten hurt."

"She was a bad lady. Bad people get hurt all the time."

"Tsuki, had you seen that wire when you looked for the bathroom?"

"Uh…" Tsuki looked like he was thinking about it before he caught sight of Celty. "Celty-san!" He broke into a sprint, his scarf fluttering out behind him as he ran to greet the dullahan.

Shizuo frowned as he walked up, greeting the dullahan silently as they all headed into the apartment.

"Izaya! I said I have no idea where your boyfriend and son went! WHY WOULD I KNO- OH! CELTY IS HERE… NO I AM NOT HAVING HER GO LOOKING FOR THEM! BUY THEM LEASHES IF YOU ARE SO WORRIED!" Shinra slammed what must have been the phone down on the table before walking in. The sight of Shizuo and Tsuki made him sigh, "I should have guessed Izaya was right."

"Hey."

"Hi Shizuo. Celty! Wifey-Ah…right… wasn't supposed to do that anymore…"

"Shinra, we need you to look at Tsuki's arm."

"His ar- What happened to that cast!" Shinra paled as he looked down at Tsuki.

"…it was itchy and annoying-"

"Come on, you! Geez. Here I had forgotten about that thing. We are getting an x-ray."

"I don't like x-rays."

"I don't like being jabbed in the stomach, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices so that we get better things."

Tsuki nodded, following the doctor back to another room. Shizuo took Tsuki's bag as they went away and sat down next to Celty.

[You look like something is bothering you.]

"We saw that Russian woman that was trying to get Izaya."

[Russian woman?]

"Some stupid police woman."

[Do you think she will go after him again?]

"I don't know, but she got hurt earlier by some stupid wire thing."

[Huh… So what does Tsuki keep in that bag?]

Shizuo looked down at the small messenger bag, "I have no idea." Carefully sitting down nearby at a table, he pulled the bag open and started to pull things out. Sketchbook, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, paint kit…

Exacto knife…

Needles and thread…

Clear…wire…

Shizuo paused as he pulled out a switchblade and Celty typed quickly.

[Izaya must be worried badly to let Tsuki carry that stuff around.]

"Yeah…" Shizuo looked at the wiring quietly, pressing his thumb against it to test how sharp it could be. A thin line appeared on his thumb as it was cut easily open by it. "…I think Tsuki, Izaya, and I are going to have a talk later."

"WHOA! SO YOU CAN MAKE BABIES OUT OF TEST TUBES?"

That effectively pulled the ex-bartender's and the dullahan's attention away from Tsuki's things, Shizuo tossing everything back into Tsuki's bag before going to see what was going on, the dullahan following him as they headed down the hall and opened Shinra's personal lab.

"NO TSUKI!"

A great splash was heard as Shizuo and Celty both looked in to find a large puddle of water in the middle of the room. Shinra gripping his hair in horror as Tsuki went to his knees and shook at the small figure in the middle of the room.

"Hello! My name is Tsukishima."

Shizuo paused as the little figure slowly opened its eyes and looked up at Tsuki, its red eyes the same… color… "What the hell did you do, Shinra?"

~.~

_**A/N: …Roppi? Well, I suppose Tsuki needs company. I mean, the adults have that sexual tension going on… **_

_**FANART! WE GOTS IT! –cheers/confetti- **_

_**We have THE FLEA (or FLEAMAN! (or some other awesome name)): http:/ little-lord-brat .deviantart ..com/art/It-s-a-bird-it-s-a-plane-277359768**_

_**And then we have this lovely rendition of Tsuki's drawing here: **_**_http:/ holypastafae .deviantart. com/ #/d4l64z2_**

**_(Please remember to remove the spaces in the link addresses for fanfiction is conceited and does not want links on their website for whatever reason.)_**

_**I'm just going to… just drool over the awesomeness of this… For about five thousand years… **_

_**Anyway, you know, review~ and join the fawning over these two pictures if you would like. XD**_


	48. Chapter 48

"…" The small child looked up at Tsuki a moment before coughing violently, alerting the doctor back to him. Celty shook her helmet and moved away, leaving them to their own devices.

"Crap! Crap, crap, crap! He was not supposed to be out of that chamber."

"Who is THAT!" Shizuo shook, his hands balled into fists as he looked at the underground doctor. He was going to kill Shinra, then he was going to kill Izaya. How many fucking children had the louse had? The brunet and Tsuki looked about the same age. They had the same red eyes.

"Come here you." Shinra ignored Shizuo and motioned for the small child. His face was shadowed in displeasure, his serious expression in place. He was not amused by this in the least.

The boy looked up at him, then turning his gaze back to Tsukishima. Tsuki smiled at him and dropped to his knees, smiling. "A-are you okay? You look cold…"

"Tsuki-san, he can't speak." Shinra picked the boy up and sat him on a counter, the boy shivering as his nude body touched the cold steel. He curled up upon his side and looked at a wall, his eyes glazed over, almost looking like they were filled with self-loathing. "This guy I made about a few weeks ago. I had a couple pints of Izaya's um… well, I borrowed a few of his sperm cells I had frozen along with some modifications, injected into Shizuo's sperm."

"WHEN THE HELL-"

"It developed all the way until it was at infant stage, I killed the twin. It couldn't handle the progressing drug I injected. Although," Shinra scratched the back of his head, "I kinda goofed up on it. This boy here confirmed the correct formula. It wore off about a week ago and he's been spiraling the proverbial drain for a while. I tried direct IVs from Izaya, but he's dying. I give him a day or two tops."

"What?" Tsuki looked at the boy and back to Shinra in horror. "He's gonna d-die?"

"Shinra, I swear to god…" Shizuo couldn't even come up with the words to properly describe how stupid he was. The man needed to be forever jabbed by Celty, maybe have her leave him and never come back.

"I know! It was a stupid idea, but I was curious! Someone somehow managed to get Izaya to have a child with you! Izaya's a guy! It's impossible for two men to have a baby."

"So you did this as some stupid science experiment?" Shizuo gripped the wall, sending a couple paintings tumbling to the floor as the wall shuddered. Cracks formed upon the sterile blue walls.

"Shizuo! Think about it! I almost had no choice!"

"You had a great fu- YOU HAD A CHOICE!"

Shinra flinched, backing towards a corner, as far as he could get from Shizuo. "I just… I mean… Shizuo~ You know how I am!"

"Yeah! I should have known that you would pull something like this!"

"Shizuo~!" Shinra slinked down towards the floor, the blond ex-bartender closing the distance between them. Those mocha eyes darkening in more and more anger, his fists tightened until his knuckles turned pale from the lack of blood. He stalked forward, targeting his prey. His eyes almost dared the doctor to try something, just try to fight back and see what the hell would happen.

He would kill the man. He would kill him dead.

And then kill him again.

Yeah, Shizuo felt a sadistic smirk come upon his face, deepening the fear in the doctor's heart as he realized he'd seen that smirk on Izaya's face before…

Before some seriously scary things went down in the city.

Tsuki ignored the showdown going down in the room and looked at the boy lying on the counter. He looked so cold… He pulled his scarf off and wrapped it around the brunet. "You must be lonely."

The brunet looked over at him again before his gaze went to the scarf. His eyes focused in on the object as if he had never seen anything like it before.

"I know! We can go see vatti. He always knows what to do." With that, Tsuki pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around the brunet, looking around a moment before grabbing a towel and wrapping around his waist. He nodded and led the brunet from the room. The boy wobbled on his legs as he tried to keep up, the towel tripping him as they moved.

Shadows wrapped around them as they went to exit.

"Celty~" Tsuki fought against the shadows uselessly, "Hachi and I want to go see vatti!"

[Hachi?]

"I couldn't think of a name and thought it sounded kind of cool." Tsuki blushed, "eight is my favorite number."

[…Where is Shizuo and Shinra?]

"They're having an argument. Can we go see Vatti now?"

[You can't let him go out like that. Hold on a minute.]

The dullahan released them both a moment before the shadows surrounded the brunet. 'Hachi' looked at the shadows in worry a moment, twitching and squirming before the shadows moved away, the jacket Tsuki had lent him moving away to the blond as a red trimmed jacket formed around him.

[There. Now then, if you both want to go see Izaya, we will go together. I don't need you both getting lost.]

Tsuki nodded hastily, grabbing his companion's hand after tugging his jacket back on. The dullahan led them from the building, the sun glaring down at them both as they made it out into the streets.

'Hachi' looked about the streets in shock, his eyes wide as he surveyed the busy and loud surroundings.

"Isn't it cool?" Tsuki looked at him in excitement, enjoying being the boy's chauffeur.

[Tsuki, you both should come on. I have work to do after this.]

"Okay." Tsuki led the brunet to the motorcycle and Celty formed them both helmets. The brunet surveyed everything, his mind in overload. The smells, the sounds, especially the strange sounds that seemed to come forth from the blond boy; it was so strange. The blond huddled against his back as he held onto the neighing object. He looked down in wonder before looking at the strange machines around them. The warm arms around his waist tightened a bit as they turned a corner. "Please be careful, Miss Celty. I didn't like that turn."

The bright yellow object on the black figure nodded. More machines sped by them as they slowed. They moved to the side, a new neighborhood. Stranger buildings. He didn't understand any of it. He didn't know anything…

He didn't like these places or these things. They were like his life thus far. Cold, foreign, lifeless…

These creatures wandering passed him scared him, angered him… he hated them. The distaste for these strange creatures formed in him, all up until those brown eyes looked at him. The blond boy helped him off the neighing object and the brunet listened to the blond.

"Thank you Celty."

[It was nothing. You both get inside to Izaya's apartment now. Izaya has to miss you terribly.]

"Mhmm. Only a whole lot." Tsuki waved as the dullahan left and looked over to find the brunet waving to her as well. He grinned in happiness, "You must be really smart."

The brunet only stared at him opening his mouth, "…smart…"

"Yeah. Hachimenroppi. I'll call you that!"

"…"

Tsuki looked at him excitedly, "your name is Hachimenroppi, either Hachi or Roppi for short. Your name means your comp…compiten… well it means you're really smart at everything."

"…Roppi."

"You have a point… Roppi sounds better." The blond led him into the building, up to the elevator, all the way to the informant's apartment. He fumbled with his bag he had snuck from his father's hands and ignored his frustrating cast, opening the door and leading the brunet inside.

"Vatti!" Tsuki looked around before flinching, "oh… he's sleeping…"

The brunet looked over to stare. His image was sleeping upon the long object in the room. The man's face was in complete repose as he dozed.

"Vatti has to be really tired. Shinra-san gave him medicine that makes him sleepy as well as healing faster. He said it does other stuff, but I didn't understand."

Medicine, Roppi didn't like that word. That word meant pain. He didn't like pain. It was bad and he couldn't see what was happening when that feeling occurred. He looked at the sleeping man and felt…drawn.

Slowly, he let go of the blond boy's hand and moved forward; his eyes glued to the man. He reached out and touched him, watching as the man didn't seem to notice.

The bad man Shinra must have given him something bad too.

The blond boy, Tsukishima, walked over and climbed onto the object, cuddling against the man and patting his other side, "come on. We can get some sleep too."

Roppi blinked, looking at the duo. Was this okay? He was never allowed to get close to anyone. The doctor had never let him get close to do anything. He would flinch whenever he tried to even touch him, as though his touch was going to break him.

"Roppi? What's the matter?" Tsukishima frowned at him, "vatti is really nice. Come on."

The small hand reached out for him, that beaming smile messing with him. Roppi looked at the boy, the boy that went against everything that had been inscribed into him since his birth. Trust, touch, a name…

He didn't understand, he couldn't form the words to understand what he was seeing or thinking. His pale hand reached out and took the blond's hand into his. The hand wrapped around him gently. It tugged him up upon the man and Roppi watched the blond cuddle against the man's side, mimicking the motion only because he didn't know what else to do.

He had never been free before of that room, the room of cold and steel.

~.~

Izaya opened his eyes as his phone rang on the table.

His mind a haze, he flipped the phone open and answered, cuddling the objects against his side to him as he spoke, "Moshi moshi."

"Izaya," the protozoan was on the other end, "please tell me Tsuki is with you."

"Hmm?" Izaya's eyes widened a moment before he felt something tug on his shirt, forcing him to look down and inevitably sigh in relief. "Yeah, he's here…" The informant's gaze drifted to his other side to pause, curious… "With a companion."

"Yeah…" the blond sounded aggravated, "we're killing Shinra."

"Now why would I kill our dear friend Shinra?"

"He's been experimenting, that thing with Tsuki is his fucking around with our sperm. That _thing_ is what he came up with."

Izaya felt the child nuzzle against him and snorted at his outfit, "he's dressed like me."

"…what?"

The informant set the phone on the table and picked the kid up, watching as bleary red eyes looked back at him. It was at a spinning image of his child self. The boy reached out for him and his raspy voice came out, "…vatti…"

There went the paternal instincts again. Izaya shook his head and cuddled both him and Tsuki close, snatching up his phone as he laid back down. "He's clearly not human." Said child shut his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

"Course not, Shinra-"

"He's not a monster either… I think we should keep him."

The other end of the line went silent a moment as Izaya imagined the ex-bartender was trying to realize what had just happened. How amusing, the brute was confused. "Shinra said he was going to die within the next couple days, Tsuki-"

"Tsuki-chan has us, ne? He'll be fine."

"He shouldn't have to watch the experiment die-"

"It's an important life lesson, besides," Izaya began to stroke both boy's hair and grinned as both fidgeted in their sleep, swatting at his hand; "the kid seems fine to me."

"Wha-"

"I'm kind of still tired though. We're napping. Bye, Shizu-chan!" He laughed as he hung up and nuzzled the duo in his arms.

"Can we keep him, vatti?" Tsuki's little eyes opened and looked up at him seriously.

"Of course we can! You know I can never say no to you." Izaya grinned, "besides, he knows where we live now. If we dump him in the streets, he'll just come back again. That's how pets work."

"Roppi-san's not a pet. He's my friend."

"Roppi?"

Tsuki nodded, "I named him Hachimenroppi."

The informant laughed harder, his whole body shaking from the extent of his amusement, "of course, of course! With him looking so much like me, of course he would be intelligent." Eight faces, six arms… what a strange name for a child. Izaya vaguely wondered if Tsuki understood how dark that name could be seen. How interesting and unexpected. He could afford to feed another mouth for a while, it would be fascinating to see how this little friendship between the duo worked.

~.~

_**A/N: Bah~! I'm tired. I stayed up just to ensure you all received this to go with your morning tea. –or evening tea- **_

_**Review~ I need something to wake up to as well. –or see during the day-**_


	49. Chapter 49

"Shizuo~" Shinra whined as he lay strapped to his own surgical table. "I SAID I WAS SORRY!"

Shizuo looked through the damn files on the so called kid. "I don't get half this shit."

"It's medical terms. They really didn't cover them in biology… or health…"

The blond looked over at Shinra drolly. "So what exactly is wrong with the fucking kid."

"He doesn't fuck… I don't think… I never tested that area-"

"Shinra!" The metal fridge grew a nice large dent from Shizuo's hand and Shinra whined more, squirming under the restraints.

"Shizuo~ come on! These restraints chafe my wrists!"

"What does this crap mean?" Shizuo held the papers near Shinra's face and the doctor sighed.

"See, this is why you and Izaya should never get along. You both develop each other's behavior. Then again… This would be rather interesting. If you developed Izaya's sadistic methods and tortures, what could Izaya have gotten?"

"Shinra!" Shizuo narrowed his gaze a bit and the man nodded absentmindedly.

"The kid has been developing lung problems along with a heart problem. The problem seems to be that he's reliant. Somehow that seems to be an issue. During a lot of the experiments, he has tried to get physical contact but with my father overlooking _everything_," Shinra rolled his eyes as if it were a mild annoyance, "it was impossible to allow-"

"Your father was in on this shit?"

Shinra looked up at him, "Shizuo. Izaya had a _baby_. Do you realize the significance of such a thing?"

"You're making me hate you."

"It wasn't like I was going to do anything. You both weren't even going to know about it!"

"It's our fucking kid!"

"Technically, yes. Genetically, yes. However, I made him from raw materials." Shinra shook his head, "I know it was stupid. I knew that from the start. I didn't intend for either of you to find out. It was going to be a backup plan for Celty and myself. I mean, I have no idea whether my dear wifey can have babies, if she can't though, I want to be able to offer something. I figured if I could do it with Izaya's and your sperm, then maybe with Celty's dna and my sperm..." Shinra looked up at him, his gaze narrowed, "you understand how it is! When you want to help them but you have to do something that you know you probably shouldn't."

"How the hell would I know something like-" He paused in midsentence, Shizuo's mind replaying the past few weeks.

Shinra sighed, "Maybe not, but I did it for Celty."

"Tch," Shizuo turned, walking out of the room, dumping the stupid ass file on the floor as he went.

The dullahan stopped as he walked by and Shizuo nodded in greeting, "tell Shinra I'm still pissed at him."

The woman nodded and Shizuo stopped, standing next to her, staring at the ground. "…about the kid he created…" He shut his eyes and shook his head. "Nevermind, it's stupid to even consider keeping the-"

Celty typed quickly before pushing her pda in front of him. [I was with him and Tsuki for the ride over to Izaya's. I know it may seem a bit… strange, but isn't it worth a shot to take care of him.]

"I don't even know… Izaya seemed pretty attached to the fucking idea. He latched onto it like the flea he is. Anything for him to point out that I'm a monster…"

Celty shrugged, [I wish I could help. All I can say is that when you both found out Tsukishima was missing, it seemed like you were both on the same page. Maybe you both could bond over this kid as well as Tsuki?]

"Yeah…" Shizuo grinned at the thought, "yeah, that perfect. Thanks Celty."

[No problem. …Where's Shinra?]

"He's kind of tied up in his office. I would give him a half an hour or so to work before going in there."

[Okay.]

Shizuo hurried down the stairs, running across the roads, taking shortcuts as he headed towards Izaya's apartment. He ignored the fact that the roads seemed emptier; he ignored the lights of the twilight. He sped passed cars that were still in motion, heading straight for him. It was getting closer to evening. He had been gone for the day, leaving Izaya to fend for himself.

The informant was probably fine.

He took the steps three at a time, throwing himself through the doorways and sprinting down the halls as if the fires of hell licked upon his ankles. He zipped passed other apartment owners, around and around on the stairs until he reached the informant's place. He pulled his key out and opened the door slowly, peeking though.

The informant lay on the couch, dozing away as if he hadn't slept in days. Cuddled into his sides were both the kids. The trio snoozed with their arms wrapped around each other, almost curled up like kittens. Shizuo froze in midmovement as he lay eyes upon the scene. He dared not breathe lest he wake them.

The kid, the one Shinra'd created, squirmed in his sleep, sitting up and looking over at him. A small hand made its way to his face as he rubbed his eyes, the bleary red eyes looking over at him again. Once again, Shizuo found himself staring into the face of Izaya. Seeing those eyes on someone other than his informant. He couldn't… he didn't know what the hell to do again. He couldn't stop himself from acting the same as before, staring in disbelief.

"…" The child stared at him a moment before turning his gaze away, his face in a deep frown as he laid back down and wrapped his arms tightly around Izaya and Tsuki. He looked over at Shizuo with some emotion that Shizuo couldn't begin to fathom.

"Nngh, Roppi-chan?" Izaya woke up and looked down, smirking, "geez, go back to sleep. I'm still tired." The boy buried his face into the informant's chest and Izaya laughed softly, tussling his hair a bit, "sleep~" Shizuo watched in shock as the informant kissed the boy's head and the kid smiled up at him a little. Tsuki nuzzled closer and Izaya shook his head, kissing the other's head as well. "I'm tired. Will you both go back to sleep?"

The duo nuzzled closer before Tsuki sat up, yawning, "I'm not sleepy… Are you Roppi?" Tsuki looked over at the other and 'Roppi' shook his head.

"Not tired?" Izaya sat up, "go play in your room then. You'll both be stuck sharing that room now."

"Okay!" Tsuki stood up and grabbed Roppi, trying to pull him away from Izaya. Roppi shook his head. "Hmm? Roppi?"

Izaya looked at the miniature double, "you want to stay with me, don't you?"

The boy looked up at him.

"So little…" Izaya pulled the boy close and hugged him, "go with Tsuki. I'll come check on you both later."

The boys left the room a moment before the informant sighed, "Shizu-chan, it's rude to eavesdrop."

"…Roppi?"

Izaya looked over at him and grinned, "Tsuki named our pet. It's cute, ne?"

Pet…

That didn't look like a pet/owner moment to him. Shizuo shook his head, "flea, I can't tell when you're lying and when you're just plain fucked up."

_If you developed Izaya's sadistic methods and tortures, what could Izaya have gotten?_ The doctor's words weaved themselves through his head, blocking out whatever the hell the informant was saying. Shizuo stood rooted to the spot as he thought it through. After watching the informant act so caring towards the two kids, after seeing his injuries, knowing that there was no way in hell or high water that Kasuka could have beaten him to that point without the informant's consent…

The informant was…

Izaya looked over at the brute and scoffed, Shizuo wasn't even listening at this point. Not that Izaya could really take that as a shock. The man was kind of brain dead up in that mind of his. He wasn't quite with it. He did have a tendency to throw around public property at one time at him. That surely wasn't the brightest move to make…

Izaya leaned back and shut his eyes. Above anything else, he wanted some sleep. The two were quite hard to sleep with when they kept reaching for each other in their sleep. Their elbows kept hitting his healing points. While it was getting a bit easier to deal with, the drugs weren't quite strong enough to block out all the pain.

A hand ghosted over his face and slowly, carmine eyes opened only to widen in surprise. The ex-bartender was closer than he had been before. The sound of his footsteps hadn't even registered to him. Languidly, Shizuo cupped his face, his legs in between the informant's as his ever emotion filled eyes looked down at him. Izaya stared back up at him, his face composed in a blank look, lighting giving off a confused expression.

His internal struggle returned with a vengeance. Izaya stared up at Shizuo and felt his body warm, as though he had stepped into a sauna. His body ignited as hormones began to run rampant through him. The man grew closer, neither of them speaking. With every lost inch, also went a bit of Izaya's careful wall. His wall for pushing the man away, it crumbled again as Izaya found himself being lost inside those mocha colored eyes. It felt as though, somewhere inside of him, that he wanted to let go of that careful control and let the blond do as he may. He wanted to take everything he had forced himself, suckled him during pregnancy to believe about the ex-bartender and just toss it from the window.

He wrapped his cold hands around the hands against his cheeks and leaned forward, closing the distance. His eyes shutting as he berated himself for the action. It was going to be a terrible idea, but what the hell. He would let his hormones run their course, if only for the day.

"Izaya…"

Shizuo pulled away and eased him down onto the cushions of the sofa. The informant turned his head away. He wanted the physical pleasure. There was no need for these emotional, psychological attachments that the blond seemed so fond of. What good could come of them? They both knew how he worked. Izaya didn't let things in. There was only trolling in his heart.

What remained of what could be considered a heart. He was a god after all. They had no need for hearts.

Still, the blond persisted. "You don't have to tell me it back, Izaya… I just can't stop telling you…" His words were separated by his kisses down the informant's chest, bare to the room. "I love you…"

Again and again, those words marred his entertainment, tainting his needs with emotional attachment. What use was this love? With what could he get with love that he could not achieve by some other means? Love was about sacrifice, and Orihara Izaya didn't make…

Izaya shook his head, "shut up Shizu-chan, or we're stopping."

The blond nodded, returning to his face, traveling down to nip and kiss along his neck. Izaya moaned, arching a bit in the man's arms. Finally, he could shut his eyes, enjoy the physical pleasures that were only able to be had with the man.

"I love you, Izaya…"

Izaya sighed, sitting up and forcing Shizuo to back up or hurt him. It was a game they both knew the outcome to, Shizuo backed up, growling a bit.

"Oh Shizu-chan, you were so close."

"Like hell…"

"You couldn't shut up, could you? All you had to do was not speak, but I suppose that was a tad bit too difficult for you-"

Shizuo rolled his eyes, "if I talk too much I got it from you."

Got it… from him? Izaya laughed, "got it from me, eh? That would be absurd! How could you possibly be astute enough to grasp upon traits of myself?"

The man just looked at him and Izaya took a moment to realize what had been said. True, the man had changed. He had saved him after all, breaking international law, the Ikebukuro protecting, criminal and deviant hating man had done something illegal.

For him.

"Shizu-chan~ it's cold in here. Grab me a blanket. I don't think I'm going to be going to bed. It's too far away."

"Tch, figures you would change the subject." Shizuo didn't bother to walk all by himself to the bedroom. No, he picked the informant up and carried him like a freaking princess all the way to the bedroom.

"Shizu-chan! You're sweating and smell bad."

"You weren't complaining a minute ago."

"You weren't being a protozoan a minute ago… oh wait! You were. How careless of me. I must be getting a fever. We should call Shinra."

"Shinra's busy."

Izaya felt the bed appear under him as the blond crawled right on top of his body. The chests brushing lightly against each other, "you killed Shinra~ Shizu-chan! I told you not to kill him!"

"I didn't kill him!" Shizuo pinned the informant's hands to either side of his body, "I more or less made him unable to move for a while… Celty will get him."

"Torturing poor Shinra, such a monstrous thing to do." Izaya shook his head only to find himself being smothered again with the brutes searing kisses up his chest. "Shi-shizu-chan… the other two are in Tsuki's room…it's t-three doors down… They will be abl-l-"

"Nice try, flea." Shizuo looked up and smirked, the smirk that Izaya quickly recognized as his own normal one. "The walls are sound proof."

Realization dawned on him as he was quickly nude with the blond in his own bedroom and slowly being teased and sucked; Shizuo was developing bad habits. Terribly bad habits and ideas.

_He kind of liked it…_

~.~

"Celty?" Shinra pouted as he walked out of his patient room, rubbing his red, scratched wrists.

The dullahan looked over, [Shinra? I forgot that you were still here, it was really quiet and I thought you went out.]

"Oh Celty!" Shinra wrapped his arms around her, "I was stuck in there for five hours! Shizuo got some idea from Izaya and strapped me to one of the tables, it was so mean of him! Look at this!" Shinra held up his wrists, "they're red! I lost a lot of circulation! I could've died!"

The dullahan froze, [died?]

"Well, I mean-"

The PDA made it to his face before he finished speaking. [I'm sorry Shinra, but I think you deserved some of that. You did experiment around with what belonged to them.]

"Celty!"

[Shizuo was really scared, Shinra. That wasn't fair. He is still getting used to Tsuki.]

"Cel-"

[And Izaya is still working on coming to terms with Shizuo not leaving.]

"You're right." Shinra sighed, leaning back. "It was just so interesting… I should have tried another approach. Oh well, in any case, we will see how this plays out."

[You should apologize again in a few days.]

"Ah, but Celty…" The doctor sighed, "in a few days, we'll be burying a body and those two will probably blame each other…"

To that, the dullahan was at a loss of what to say.

~.~

_**A/N: -insert witty nonsense here- Review~**_

_**OH! WAIT! I DO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY! WE GOT ANOTHER FANART PIC! I DIED! IT WAS TSUKI AND ROPPI! **_

_**http:/ crimsonfire3. tumblr. com/ post/ 15514361632/kid-tsuki-and-kid-roppi-going-to-izayas-house**_

_**(remember, remove spaces in the link.) **_

_**Adorably awesome, ne? **_

_**Later peeps!**_


	50. Chapter 50

"Shizu-chan…" The name came out as an endearment as their bodies were pressed together. The blond kicked his pants off, his entire lower half out in the open. There was no ifs about it in the way he looked down at him, the ex-bartender was planning to have sex. Izaya turned his head away, his body longing for what he knew he should not want.

The blond didn't take the hint though. His hands ran along the expanse of porcelain skin. His rough, warm hands seared a path upon him, leaving Izaya feeling colder as the hands left. His whole being longed to be enveloped in that heat, to be wrapped inside all of that warmth and never leave. This was the monster of Ikebukuro though, not one of his humans. He would never love…

"Izaya…" the name ghosted along his skin with his breath, causing the informant to shiver in its wake. Carmine eyes turned skyward, meeting those golden eyes burning more fiercely than the sun itself. They cried out to him wordlessly, being answered by the red eyes below. Izaya found himself upon the precipice of his own emotions. Every lay before him, but he refused to look at it all. He began to shut his eyes again when the man's lips met his.

It was like the single spark turning into a flame. The fires of their lust consumed them. Izaya's hands gripped Shizuo's head, delving as far in as he could get, Shizuo's hands copying the gesture. They tried to devour each other's overwhelming need for one another. He wanted… he needed…

Shizuo pulled back, biting down upon a sensitive spot of his shoulder, making him pull upon the golden hair his pale hands were buried in. Hands ghosted down his chest to find his nipples, tweaking and teasing them mercilessly. The response was immediate and violent. Izaya arched into the hands, his body denying the informant's attempts to stop its chance at pleasure by wordlessly demanding the attention it had long been denied.

The ex-bartender sucked upon the skin, his tongue touching upon the flesh of Izaya's neck only to be gifted with a primal groan from the man. Shizuo's mouth drifted south, finding one nipple, his tongue running around the nub as his hand continued to pester the other. Carmine eyes looked down only to melt before the liquid gold looking up at him, that swirling need… that primitive, basic desire written in those eyes. It was doing more to the informant than he could ever hope to describe.

Time seized to exist. Izaya found himself yet again cast off in the spiral of his self-observation. It was always when Shizuo was involved when his plans, his time, and his energy was thrown like a vending machine. He couldn't remember the last time he had worked, he couldn't remember what he had eaten today if he had even eaten at all; there was only Shizuo.

Shizuo, Shizuo, Shizuo…

"Izaya… Izaya…" The name of the informant's turned into the blond's mantra, being repeated over and over again. Izaya's whole person burned worse than before, pressure building inside him. He couldn't escape, there was just so much building inside him. It felt as if he had been filled above and beyond anything he could possibly handle. He felt like he would burst.

He felt lost in his own skin.

This wasn't… this wasn't him from before. They were no longer the same. Why must the blond insist upon the touching up with reality? Why couldn't he just play into the games as always?

"Izaya…" Shizuo's hand wrapped itself around his erection and Izaya felt his eyes roll back, his body and mind going blank as ecstasy took over. There was no more thinking. No more plans or schemes, there was only a hand that needed to move or let him move or _something._

There was a need stronger than that of any force and it depended on this monster completely. Shizuo… he had to…

Shizuo's hand gave a long, languid stroke, practically making the informant's toes curl in pleasure. A beaming smile was thrust upon the informant, rendering him powerless. "Like that, I-za-ya-kun?"

Reality was so far bent. Shizuo was his own time warp, destroying any form of natural understanding and stability that may or may not have existed before. The blond pressed his own length of affection against the informant's and cries of relief came from them both. Those warm hands returned to tangle into the informant's hair, pressing him close as possible as he laid claim to the brunet's mouth. He melded their lips together, a clash of their cocks rubbing against each other driving them mad with need.

And then Shizuo reached down, a warm hand wrapping around them, forcing them to stay together. Izaya's eyes shut as a hiss of pleasure erupted from him. Shizuo moved faster yet, faster and faster, picking up speed as he went. The pressure turned painful, setting his insides aflame. A finger found its way to rubbing his balls and it was only that much the informant could do to stave off that storm of an orgasm.

His mind's eye looked out at the expanse of the orgasm. The storm of affection that would be showered upon the blond. This storm was what so many of his beloved humans went for. It was more powerful and sought after than any god or power. It was more precious to his humans than any stone or metal. With just a bit more time, he could cast himself off into the seas of pleasure, letting the waves of his affection consume him.

Or he could pull away, trying to continue the twisted game of theirs further. He could try to push the blond out of his and their son's lives. The blond would fight back against him and they would find themselves at this point, again and again. It would be neverending until something happened. Until someone gave in.

"Izaya, I…" Shizuo rested his head against the informant's shoulder as he came upon their chests and the sheets. His climax pushed him across that boundary to the ocean. Izaya found himself thrown into the tsunami of desire for the monster that had been threatening the brunet for so long. His climax pulsed through him, wave after wave casting him under. His mind going into a fog, seeking out the blond mop of hair he knew so well. His hands gripped the man for dear life, his mouth latching onto the man for air. Shizuo kissed him back deeply, sending another set of waves through the informant.

"I love you, Izaya."

"I love you, Shizu-chan," the words poured forth from him, bringing that bright, sun-like smile to Shizuo's face. It blinded Izaya, the warmth, the sense of belongingness that that smile stirred inside of him… it scooped him up and cuddled him to its chest, creating these feelings that Izaya wouldn't dare try to comprehend, merely acknowledge the existence of.

Shizuo rolled over, cuddling the informant to his chest. The warmth of the man's chest took away the reality of it all, a sanctuary from all the chaos. Izaya winced, his shoulder throbbing as he moved to lay on his side. The reaction, spontaneous; Shizuo forced him back onto his back and slid a finger below the gauze, pulling it off and tossing it aside to look at the luckily closed wound over his heart. His mouth covered the ugly blemish upon his perfect skin. His arms wrapped around his waist a moment before the blond cuddled against his him, holding him close and throwing a leg over the informant's. Izaya found himself trapped underneath him.

"Come on, let's get some sleep. You're supposed to be recovering." The ex-bartender's voice was low as he spoke, drowsy. Izaya leaned his head against the blond's and laughed mentally a bit. Recovering… he felt like he had been given a disease, one that was infecting his mind, forever tying him to the monster of Ikebukuro.

Letting Shizuo in was not something he had planned upon, if he ruined this chance, well…

There were still things he could do that would make the blond suffer without Tsuki knowing…

~.~

"Finished!" Tsuki smiled at the picture before holding it up, "look Roppi! I d-drew a picture of you."

Roppi remained sitting on the blond's bed, looking around the room. His face remained the morose face it had been before.

"Roppi?" The blond stood up, discarding his picture to go to his friend. The brunet stared off into space, looking at the bedspread under him. His hands ran across the fabric silently. "Roppi, what's-"

As Tsuki reached out, barely touching the boy, Roppi flew away from the touch, He leaped from the bed and stood on the other side, his gaze narrowed.

"Roppi, what's wrong?"

The brunet shook his head, turning away. Why didn't Tsukishima get it? He had so much for himself. He had all these people he could easily associate with that cared about him. He had all of this. Roppi's eyes went around the room again before the coughing returned. He covered his mouth and coughed violently. His lungs were burning again. His stomach turned. He felt sick. He felt so awful.

Tsuki felt his heart leap into his throat, trying to help him from crying. Roppi was the first person he had met who was younger than him. Who was actually around his age; he didn't want to lose him. He watched the brunet tremble, coughing badly. His insides twisted at the sight.

Roppi…

Roppi wanted to leave, he couldn't be here anymore. He wasn't supposed to be here. Not with these people, especially not with Tsukishima. The blond had everything that he could ever ask for.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, he looked over his shoulder to see the boy crying. Crying? Why would he cry? It just didn't make sense.

"I'm sorry, Roppi. We can do what you want to do."

He frowned at the blond. Did he think that he was mad at him? Was that why there were tears running down his face? Roppi turned in the blond's arms to look at him.

"Please don't leave me…" The sobbing boy murmured, "I don't want to be alone anymore…"

Alone…

Roppi moved slowly, awkwardly trying to think of how 'vatti' had done it earlier. He wrapped his arms around Tsukishima and hugged him tight, earning a sniffle before the blond hugged him back tighter. Shutting his eyes, Roppi let himself take in the moment, his coughing and pain receding.

"Please… you're the best friend I have ever had…"

Roppi tightened his hold, the words making his eyes water. He wished he knew what to say. He just didn't want to see Tsuki cry. Not ever again.

~.~

_**A/N: ROPPI! TSUKI! –sobs and wants to hold them both-**_

_**Tsugaru: -hands tissue- Shouldn't you be recovering? What was your temperature?**_

_**PI: …100.5 degrees Fahrenheit.**_

_**Tsugaru: -wraps kimono around- Just be sure to drink plenty of fluids and sleep instead of trying to write more chapters of fanfictions.**_

_**PI: The people, Tsu-chan… they needs me… -sadface- **_

_**Review~**_


	51. Chapter 51

Tsuki cried for an hour, thoroughly bothering the brunet to the edge of his sanity. He felt so weak, so useless as the blond continued to cry. His face turned red as the sobs started to choke him. They grew larger, shaking his entire body. It scared him as much as it bothered him. Could Tsuki die from this? Was it possible? He seemed so close to death. It was as though if Tsukishima cried any more he would just stop breathing.

The idea sent the brunet into paling, turning ghost white. He looked down, he had to do something. He couldn't let Tsukishima die. He was the one who had freed him. It was only right that he do something in return. The sobs made the blond's stomach bounce, as though the air was being stored there and couldn't get out. Should he wrap his arms around him and try to free the air?

Sniffles escaped Tsuki, making Roppi look around the room. When the doctor had had a runny nose, he had used a white sheet to sneeze into. He didn't see any though.

The sounds of sobbing continued to come from the blond. It was like eternity had passed, it was driving him insane! He had to make it stop. He had to make Tsuki happy somehow. He stared at the boy, questioning what to do. Maybe if he tried reaching his hand into the boy's mouth, he could… no, he didn't have anything in there that needed pulling out.

That crying! It was worse than any other sound on the planet! He needed it gone GONE _GONE! _Without thought, Roppi pulled the boy by his scarf, pressing their lips together. The metaphorical switch had been thrown. Tsuki immediately stopped crying, looking at him in complete and utter shock. His face turned brighter red as he slowly shut his eyes.

Roppi pulled back and turned laying down in the boy's lap. "…do…not…cry."

Tsuki stared at him in complete shock, trying to absorb what had just happened. His hand touched his face, where just moments before the boy's lips had been. He had just given him a chu. A small kiss on the lips. Vatti did that, but it was always on his cheek. Were… were people supposed to do that?

He had no idea.

Roppi had spoken too! So he could speak! That was great! He smiled as he looked down at the exhausted looking brunet, playing with the red fur on his coat, He continued to fluff it up, making it into almost a giant puffball, then flattening it. His eyes glazed over in boredom. He chest lightly rose and fell and Tsuki found himself playing with his hair. It wasn't as soft as his own. It was kind of like dad's hair, like from before he had started living in the apartment that he and vatti lived in. It was like vatti's hair though.

He liked it.

His own hair was so bright. It had always been so different from vatti's and all the people who were able to talk to him asked if his brown hair had been from his mother. People were mean…

"Tsuki…"

Tsukishima looked down at his friend hurriedly, "what is it?"

"…tired…" Roppi touched the bags under his eyes and Tsuki grinned a bit.

"Mhmm, sleep time…"

Roppi rolled to his side and held him tight.

"Uh-h-h R-Roppi w-we hav-ve a bed-d." He blushed as the boy shut his eyes. His facial features smoothing out. There would be no other choice, Tsuki slid an arm under the brunet's legs, picking him up and carrying him to bed. The crimson gaze opening a bit to watch him warily, making sure he didn't try anything.

"You're so light," Tsuki mumbled, almost just to himself. Together, they curled up on the oversized mattress and cuddled. Roppi's arms latching around Tsuki's waist. It was nice, he hadn't been able to sleep with vatti in a year, and it was lonely. There was rarely a time when the informant would let him come to sleep with him, and usually when he woke up, the man was gone. "…Roppi?"

The brunet looked up at him sleepily, "…hmm."

"Will you still be here when I wake up?"

The brunet nodded.

"Good." He tightened his hold around the brunet and grinned. Even as the rain began to pour down in buckets, as the wind howled, the duo started to fall asleep for the night. They shifted, until Roppi was almost lying on top of Tsukishima. The storm worsened outside, until finally the first clap of thunder boomed across the land, lighting up the dark room and making both boys jump. "WAHH!"

Roppi clung to the blond for dear life.

"R-r-r-roppi? A-are you alright?"

"…want vatti."

"Y-yeah, let's go find vat-t-ti…" Tsuki shuddered and both jumped from the bed as the thunder boomed again.

~.~

"God damned thunder." Shizuo yawned as he was awakened by the lightning storm outside.

"Less than ten seconds," Izaya murmured, pulling away.

"Oi, flea. Stay put. You're getting me cold, and what the hell with the ten se-"

"WAHH!"

Izaya shook his head, "they're coming~"

"Oh…" Shizuo sighed, "they have each other, they'll be fine. Get back over here."

The informant only smirked at him before two objects collided with Shizuo's legs, scrambling onto the bed.

"Vatti!"

"…vatti…"

"That annoying stuff is outside the house again." The duo wrapped their arms around Izaya and shuddered, shaking the entire bed. "Make it go away."

"…don't like…"

Izaya shook his head, "You both should be asleep."

"…vatti…clothes…"

Tsuki frowned, "why does it smell weird…"

Shizuo twitched, "you both need to go to bed!" A chuckling stopped the blond from going on and shooing the duo out.

The informant wrapped his arms around the two boys and smiled, a rather sadistic looking, mischievous smile that sent chills down Shizuo's spine. "Shizu-chan and I were doing something a while ago and it left the room smelling quite funny, ne? Nevermind that, it ruined our clothing completely and Shizu-chan and I were so tired that we didn't feel like getting up to put clothes on. So we just cuddled up under the covers."

"No way," Tsuki shook his head, "you and dad fight."

Izaya grinned, "you don't think Shizu-chan and I can get along?"

"You both fight all the time…"

"Oh?" Red eyes gleamed like a predator's eyes, catching sight of prey, "so therefore Shizu-chan and I can't be civil? I will have you know that we were getting along quite well."

Tsuki began to shake his head when another clap of lightning appeared, quickly followed by thunder. Roppi clung to Izaya for dear life as the informant laughed, the sound bouncing around the room.

"Maybe we should all hold onto Shizu-chan, ne? He is the strongest person here…"

Before he could open his mouth, two sets of arms wrapped around him. Tsuki nuzzled into his side and shut his eyes, "I hate storms…"

"I rather like them," Izaya replied, grinning as he bit down on Shizuo's side. The ex-bartender shut his eyes, damn flea was already trying to piss him off. He knew they couldn't do anything with the two in… wait two… He looked over to find Roppi still holding onto Izaya.

He paused as he saw the look of mistrust in those eyes, the boy tugged on Izaya's arm. He tugged more and Izaya looked down at him. "Yes, Roppi-chan?"

The boy remained silent, just tugging until Izaya pulled away and hugged the boy close. "What's wrong?"

"…vatti…"

Neither of the adults knew what the hell was wrong, but Izaya rolled away and hugged the boy, facing away from the two blonds. Tsuki drifted off to sleep fast and Shizuo looked over to find Izaya quickly passed out as well. Roppi glared at him over the informant's side though. Those red eyes glaring daggers at him, it confused and annoyed the hell out of him.

"Something wrong, Roppi?"

"…Hachimenroppi."

Shizuo blinked, pausing a moment. "Is there something wrong, Hachimenroppi?" That was what he meant, wasn't it?

"…you piss me off…"

Shizuo stared after the boy as he laid back down, being shielded from view by the informant. The words rang through his head as he remained frozen. That… wha…. What had he done to instigate such a hatred from the kid? He had never done anything to him! The boy's anger pissed him off.

Fine then, if he didn't like him, well then Shizuo didn't like him either. He wrapped his arms around Tsuki and reached out, wrapping an arm around Izaya's shoulders. These two, these two were his. Roppi was staying with them for a little bit. Then he would go on with his life with these two.

Roppi could go be pissed at him somewhere else.

~.~

_**A/N: Feelin' better now! Woohoo! And lookie there, we have another chapter. I loves it. The Shizuo vs. Roppi makes me grin. I wrote it and was like:**_

"_**-wiping nosebleed from all the fluff- Gott, this nosebleed won't stop. It's just so cute… -inserts roppiShizuo hatred- Ahh… much better… -laughs maniacally and spins in computer chair- What's gonna happen? What's gonna happen? OH THIS IS JUST TOO FUN TO TEASE PEOPLE WITH!" **_

_** -laughs more, scaring people in area… again.- **_

_** Review~ **_


	52. Chapter 52

Morning.

What a terrible time of the day. The sunlight poured through the curtains, bring light and warmth into the room. The whole area became stuffy since the door was shut. Shizuo groaned, covering his head with a pillow. The room was too warm where the sunlight hit, but where it didn't, it was colder than cold.

He frowned, the lack of warmth pestering him. Where was…

He sat up and looked around, the room completely barren. Music seeped in from behind the doorway. The smell of warm food successfully awakened the blond man's stomach. He stretched, listening to the soft popping of his back and shoulders from being curled up asleep all night.

One foot after another, a soft murmur of footsteps announced his movement as he grabbed some pants and dressed drowsily. His head ached terribly. Like something had hit him the night before. His body was marred with bitemarks and scratches.

Sadistic little flea…

The living room was full of energy. The light shone through the windows, lighting the plants and green oriented color scheme of the room. The informant was perched behind his desk, glasses on his face as he silently pilfered through the stacks of papers on his desk. A woman stood next to him, muttering angrily at him as she pulled more papers from a bag.

The informant merely laughed softly at her anger and shook his head, "oh my, Namie-chan~ It would appear all the sexual frustration over Seiji-kun is making your secretarial skills useless."

The woman narrowed her gaze and spoke again, but Shizuo wasn't interested in hearing them. He looked around and found the boys sitting in the kitchen. Tsuki talking animatedly as Roppi sat next to him and nodded occasionally. Shizuo sighed and leaned against the doorway to the room, watching them as he thought.

Tsuki reminded him of himself in a lot of ways. Not only in looks and his love of milk, but the way he behaved. The boy seemed to enjoy being around others and having his peace. He would most likely grow up to be just as strong, but Shizuo would be there for him, more understanding than anyone else since his own strength was monstrous.

Roppi…

Remembering last night, Shizuo rubbed his head, the ache becoming worse. He should have been more understanding than he had been. No doubt the kid probably had had it rough in Shinra's place. Automatically hating him had been a bit of an overstatement. Instinct. That was all he could say for that.

Meanwhile, looking at the boy now, he was reminded of Kasuka. Roppi was quiet enough, he went along with whatever Tsuki was talking about or doing. He listened and never seemed to leave the kid's side. It was endearing to see.

"Shizu-chan should eat something," a voice leaned up and murmured into his ear, "unless Shizu-chan has something else in mind… although I am a bit too sore for something like that…"

Looking over his shoulder, he met the gaze of the informant's, grinning a bit. "I was thinking-"

"You should probably stop doing that, you'll get a headache."

"I already have a headache, flea."

Izaya shrugged, shutting his eyes as he did somewhat of a bow, "Then my warning is too late, I suppose. Oh well, we're taking the delightful duo to the doctor's office today."

Hmm? "The doctor's office?"

Izaya looked over at them as he leaned against the other side of the doorway, "yeah. Tsuki-chan said that Roppi-chan had a coughing fit last night, but when he was in our room and dealing with the stress of his fear of storms, he didn't cough once." The carmine eyes looked over at him, "I think he's faking it."

Shizuo looked at Izaya and frowned, "how the hell could he do that?"

"It's not overly complex. You create enough negative emotion, you can do just about anything. You can override your body's sense of self-preservation, forcing reactions that would otherwise not happen. Such as becoming so angry that you force muscles to deal with pressure and weight they could otherwise not handle, force the stomach to feel full at low amounts of sustenance, make yourself stay up for days at a time by forcing adrenaline to continue driving you through day to day life."

"So he thinks about it and can make himself sick?" Shizuo didn't get it.

"Basically, he makes himself unhappy and gets himself sick." Izaya chuckled, "I've seen it before, Roppi-chan's symptoms match. I'm just somewhat surprised that Shinra seems to be incapable of seeing it." The smirk on his face, Shizuo had seen many times before shit happened in Ikebukuro, "I wonder…"

"What are you planning, flea?"

"Hmm?" Izaya looked over at him, "who said anything about plans? All I have planned is a doctor's appointment. Tsk, tsk, Shizu-chan. Love is about trust, ne?" He walked into the kitchen and held his arms out immediately getting the duo at the table to latch onto him, hugging him in greetings.

Being in love with Izaya was beginning to feel like being in a big game, but not knowing the rules or goals. He wasn't sure what to think anymore.

Frustrated, Shizuo turned and grabbed some medicine from a cabinet, swallowing it as he got himself a glass of milk and joined the trio, oblivious to the fact that he had been under the close watch of the brunet boy.

~.~

_**A/N: Yes, I updated twice in one day. OTL I was going to update a different story, but I got writer's block. I felt like Izaya needed to enjoy letting his love for Shizuo be obvious. As for Shizuo… Tsuki's turning out to have a sadistic side to him, Roppi **_**hates**_** him, and Izaya's bein' Izaya. I'm trying to emphasize Shizuo's frustrations the best I can. I'll work on it a bit. Thanks for the info, Mr/Ms. Random reviewer. (T^T)b –appreciates the honesty and the praises- **_

_**DevilishBea! Bitte! Do not go into a nervous breakdown. I know Roppi's cute, he will continue his cuteness for… well… who knows, he may die in the next couple chapters, or he could live… -Izayatrollface- Who knows, he may die in the next chapter…**_

_** Tsuki: …WHAT? –extremelysadface- **_

_** PI: -laughs evilly, continuing to spin in computer chair- The reviews will help him live maybe… Maybe~**_

_** Reviews are much obliged. (^-^)/ Ja nee~!**_


	53. Chapter 53

"Vatti." Roppi looked up at him worriedly as they all headed towards the hospital.

"Yes, my wonderful, Roppi-chan?" Izaya looked down at him, grinning like a madman. People around were continuously looking in the family's direction, turning pale, crossing themselves, snapping pictures; successfully angering Shizuo.

"Walk on your own…"

"Hmm?" Izaya looked over at him, "Roppi, a walk this long would make me injured worse, we're going to make daddy carry me all the way to the hospital."

Tsuki nodded, "mhmm. Vatti shouldn't have been walking to begin with."

"Yep, but daddy's a big monster who makes injured people wal-"

"Shut up flea." Shizuo looked over his shoulder, "you could have woken me up!"

"Woken you up?" Izaya lowered his voice, moving so the children couldn't see him murmur into the ex-bartender's other ear, "ah, but then I couldn't watch Shizu-chan sleeping, his arms holding me like his most favorite teddy bear, the small murmurs for his sweet 'Iza-chan' coming out of him from time to time…"

"I will drop you, flea." Shizuo looked over his shoulder to see the smirk on the informant's face.

"'Iza-chan loves you too, Shizu-chan~" Izaya looked down at Roppi and gave both the children a fullblown smile, "Shizu-chan says we should get ice cream after we finish at the hospital. I'm not sure though…"

"I want i-ice cream!" Tsuki looked up excitedly.

"…I only want if vatti wants…" Roppi scooted a bit closer to Tsuki as they walked up to the building and Izaya nodded.

"Ice cream is a must then. We shall fetch some right af…ter…" Izaya blinked at the person just walking out, spotting them immediately. "VORONA-CHAN!" Izaya laughed, waving brightly, "What a pleasure to see you on my hometurf! Ah-" He looked at her and pouted a bit, "but it looks like you hurt yourself. Such a shame."

"Nakura…" She shook in anger, staring at him with murderous intent. "I'm here to arrest y-"

"What's this? Nakura?" Izaya wrapped his arms around Shizuo and leaned against him, "Shizu-chan? Do you know this Nakura person?"

"Izaya, we have an appointment."

"Ah, yes, yes. I apologize, dear Voro-chan, but we do have pressing engagements that are actually worth our time."

"Don't you dare play ignorant!" She pulled out her handcuffs and glared at them, "NAKURA! You are under arrest for the murder of four individuals and for resisting arrest, fraud, and I just don't like you."

"That last one sounded personal." Izaya shook his head, "I don't remember doing anything to you."

"YOU DUMPED ME INTO THE MIDDLE OF A FROZEN RIVER YOU ASSHOLE!"

"You shouldn't have had a problem then, it was frozen-"

"IT BROKE OPEN AND I FELL IN!"

"She is a very hostile person, ne?" Izaya yawned, hugging Shizuo tight, "I'm bored now. Let's move along. Our children need to get their checkup.

"I'M ARRESTING YOU!" She glared at him as she yelled, trying to come forward to proceed to cuff him.

"Don't touch vatti." Roppi glared at her, stepping in front of the former enemies, between her and them.

Tsuki smiled at him a moment before nodding, "yeah, leave us alone."

The woman looked down a moment before strutting forward, her heels clicking in impatience. "I have no time for games; you're under arrest for murder. The police force here is incompetent, but I found you myself-"

"LADY! We said get l-lost!" Tsuki looked up at her, glaring a bit. Roppi smirked darkly a moment before tugging Tsuki's scarf.

"She's not worth the time…let's get going."

"Are you su-"

"What is this? The freaking circus?" She looked at the four of them and wrinkled her nose, "I don't have time for this shit, take the midgets back to their tent." She began to move forward when Shizuo growled, pulling Izaya from around his back into Roppi's arms.

"Watch him a minute."

"Vatti," Roppi hugged the informant to his person and shocking the man when he was able to support his weight.

"What're we gonna do, dad?" Tsuki skipped forward with him before Shizuo stood within grabbing distance of the woman.

"I thought you weren't a criminal, Heiwajima." She crossed her arms.

"I thought I was above hitting women." He threw his fist out, punching her in the middle of that smug face of hers, "but I don't take insults sitting down."

"Yeah!" Tsuki bounced next to him, smirking informant-like. "Don't insult Roppi again or we'll make you pay."

Shizuo looked over at him and shook his head, turning to get Izaya when he felt a hand grab his pants. "What?"

"How can you… associate…with him…" She looked up at him, eyes watering, holding her bleeding nose.

"Get the hell out of 'bukuro before I kick you out." He pulled his sunglasses out and kicked her hands off him. Tsuki looked at him a moment before fumbling in his bag, pulling out his own sunglasses and nodding at her, following Shizuo back to the brunet duo waiting nearby.

"Look Roppi," Izaya grinned, "it's like seeing double."

"Could say the same about you two, Izaya-kun~"

"Vatti…" Roppi held him tighter.

Shizuo looked at him a moment before bending down, starting to grab for Izaya. The brunet boy wasn't going to have that though, he bit him. "OW WHAT THE HELL?"

"AHAHAHAAHAHA!" Izaya burst into laughter, hugging Roppi tight. "What a little mommy-hog. Does Roppi wanna keep me?"

Roppi glared at Shizuo from over Izaya's shoulder. His red eyes shooting daggers at the ex-bartender, "my vatti…"

"Roppi?" Tsuki looked over at him in confusion.

"We have to get to this damn appointment, Roppi. Give me-"

"Hachimenroppi."

"Hachimenroppi, we don't have time for this shit. Give me-"

"Shizu-chan! Language!" Izaya mock-glared at him. "We don't want them using bad words!"

"…Give me Izaya."

Roppi shook his head, "you're mean. No."

Izaya shook in silent mirth as Shizuo glared at Roppi. "Hachimenroppi, give me Izaya."

"No, go die."

"ROPPI!" Tsuki looked at him in shock. "Dad isn't going to hurt hi-"

"He made vatti's butt hurt. He's mean." Roppi's gaze went from Tsuki to Shizuo.

"You are a bad man, go die."

"He makes vatti's butt hurt a lot," Izaya commented.

"FLEA!" Shizuo glared at him a moment before reaching out again, "just give me Iza-OW! STOP BITING!" Shizuo withdrew, his knuckles bleeding now. "Izaya! Help me here."

"He didn't say please, did he?" Izaya looked at Roppi and the boy shook his head.

"Love vatti… Shizu-chan should go die…"

"Oh, it's like looking into a mini mirror." Izaya cooed, kissing Roppi's cheek.

"FLEA!"

"Roppi! Dad won't hurt vatti! Dad loves vatti! J-j-just let him carry vatti into the hospital."

"No."

"IZAYA! Talk some reason into him!"

Izaya shook his head, "I'm good. Let's just go in as is."

"Izaya, he can't possibly carry you all the way i-" Shizuo was cut off as Roppi walked towards the building, struggling to hold Izaya. Tsuki sprinted over to him and tapped his shoulder, taking some of the informant's weight.

Shizuo stood in place, watching the trio head in a moment before letting out a punch into a nearby phone booth, a large crater made where his fist landed. He headed in after them, following them up to the waiting room.

"Hello!" A cheery nurse looked at the four of them brightly, "name?"

"Heiwajima~" Izaya grinned, "and Orihara."

"Heiwajima and Ori…hara…" She paled at the names, "like Orihara Izaya and Heiwajima Shizuo?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss… Naomi." Izaya peaked at her name tag, grinning. "We scheduled this morning for an appointment."

"Ah, yes…" Her smile remained gone, replaced with furrowed brows of worry. "We have you set up with the pediatrician for Tsukishima and Hachimenroppi. We can take the kids back now. Are you wanting to join or-"

"Shizu-chan and I will wait up here for them to get done." Izaya stood up from the boys' grips and smiled, "you both are going to behave, ne?"

"Of course!" Tsuki smiled at him, hiding a bit behind his scarf.

"…I don't like her either." Roppi glared at the woman, making Izaya laugh loudly, scaring the depressed room.

"Oh, Roppi-chan, you are simply adorable!" Izaya hugged both of them and sent them to the nurse's side, the woman waiting patiently to take them back.

"So, Roppi-chan and Tsukish-"

"It's Hachimenroppi." Roppi glared at her, hugging Tsuki's waist as they followed the woman.

"Ah…okay…"

Izaya leaned against Shizuo and grinned, "such good children."

"Ten thousand yen says Roppi bites the damn doctor." Shizuo looked down at his bleeding fist and sighed.

"He really doesn't like you, does he?"

"No. Damn kid's a pain."

Izaya shook his head, smirking before turning to another nurse, "Shizu-chan busted his fist against a wall, can we borrow a first aid kit?" The man looked at them a moment before sighing.

"First door on the right, don't make a mess."

""Thank you." Izaya walked stiffly with his cast, leading Shizuo to the room before shutting the door behind them.

"You shouldn't be walking." Shizuo looked at him, frowning.

"My leg feels better all the time. I'm fine. It's my damn chest that needs to finish being so damn sensitive." He walked to a cabinet and pulled out various items. "Now then, we should worry about you, ne?"

"I'm telling you, Roppi's a pain in the ass."

"Ah, but I thought the general census was that you were the pain in my ass and should go die?"

Shizuo growled, "He said he hated me."

"You said you hated me and look where we are now?" Climbing onto his lap, Izaya pushed Shizuo back on the examination table and grabbed his fist, inspecting his hand as if all doctors did such a thing as straddling their clients' waists.

"That was different."

"Oh? Shizu-chan thinks he's special." Izaya soaked a cotton ball one-handed, keeping a hold of Shizuo's hand. "Maybe he just thinks you're a monster, ne?"

"Wouldn't be the first time I've had some damn flea think that."

"You act as though I stopped believing it."

Shizuo grinned, "I haven't seen you calling me a monster in a while."

"Gods have often associated with monsters. Hades himself kept several monsters, Fenrir was a wolf who bit off the hand of a god after years of being taken care of by the Tyr," Izaya dabbed at the wound as he spoke matter-of-factly. "Whether or not a monster is a monster is of no concern, it is the treatment of such a creature that is important."

"What's that supposed to mean, Izaya?"

"I'm simply stating that I still believe you are a monster, Shizu-chan." Those crimson eyes ignored him a moment longer, the brunet wrapping his hand in some gauze before tying it into place. His red eyes flickered up, his body pressing down on the ex-bartender's. "I still very much believe that you are a monster, but our games of cat-and-mouse have grown boring. Besides," the informant's mouth ghosted over his neck, the warm breathe sending shivers down Shizuo's spine, "I rather like our new game. You seem to enjoy denying how similar you and Hachimenroppi are…"

"We have nothing in common-"

"As always Shizu-chan," Izaya's hands cupped his face, the informant closing the distance between them, "I find your denial amusing." With that, his lips pressed against the blond's quickly getting the both of them caught up in a wave of lust.

~.~

_**A/N: I swear! I was going to update sooner!**_

_**Tsugaru: …you were reading doujinshi again, weren't you?**_

_**PI: NO! I was working at my jobs!**_

_**Psyche: I found a doujinshi about us under her pillow, Tsu-chan!**_

_**PI: …I CAN EXPLAIN! IT'S MY FRIEND'S! I SWEAR!**_

_**Tsugaru: …-does not believe- **_

_**PI: …Review begging time?**_

_**Psyche: OH! I WANNA DO IT!**_

_**PI: NO! YOU TWO AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE IN MY AUTHOR NOTES! GET OUT! OUT OUT OUT!**_

_**Psyche: Info-chan wants reviews because she giggles at them while she works, she would also like to give a big shoutout to Little Lord Brat on Deviantart who drew Tsuki and Roppi-chan when they first met. She forgot to mention it earlier because she's been ogling my Tsu-chan.**_

_**PI: LIES! I WAS NOT OGLING! …I was drooling. Completely different.**_

_**Tsugaru: -sighs- LLB's picture is here: http:/ little-lord –brat .deviantart. com /art /Hello –My -name-is-Tsukishima- 277691999 **_

_**Psyche: Don't forget to remove spaces~! **_

_**PI: -struggling against psyche to regain control of author note- IT'S MY TIME TO RAMBLE! GO RIDE A CIRCUS RIDE! –flailing-**_

_**Psyche: She's fun, can we keep her? –pouts at Tsugaru- I promise to feed her and take her for walks and play with her!**_

_**PI: …did I just get turned into a dog? O-O **_


	54. Chapter 54

"Roppi-san!" Tsuki ran with the brunet on his back. "We shouldn't do this! We should have pro-"

"Bad man, keep running. Find Vatti."

"G-g-got it!" Tsuki pushed his glasses up and kept running, "Roppi, don't you think we should take it eas-"

"Bad men coming."

"I'm running, I'm running!"

"Kids! Slow down!" The pediatrician ran after them, yelling to the nurses to stop them.

"Run Tsuki, run." Roppi clung to the boy as Tsuki continued sprinting down the hallways. The two boys continued running for the elevator, watching the doors close just before the doctor made it. The duo collapsed onto the elevator floor and Tsuki looked over at Roppi.

"Are you okay, Roppi?"

"…chest hurts…" The brunet leaned back against the back wall, panting as he looked over at his reflection.

"That man was mean," the blond slid close and brushed Roppi's bangs back. "I can't believe he stuck that needle into your arm and tried to steal all your blood."

"That other cold object…I think it hurt me…" Roppi looked over at him fearfully and Tsuki gulped.

"Should I… Should I c-check for y-you?"

Roppi nodded silently, turning around to give the blond a view of his back. He looked so fragile, Tsuki thought as he moved forward. His eyes roamed over his friend and he swallowed the large lump growing in his throat.

"Maybe I shouldn't touch you… I could use t-too much st-treng-"

Roppi turned and covered his mouth, shaking his head before those sparkling red eyes looked up at him, "Please Tsuki…"

Tsuki shook his head before nodding, lifting the boy's coat and shirt swiftly to look at his back. "…It looks okay."

"It's cold…"

"Where?" Tsuki ran his hand over the brunet's back, trying to find a cold place. He bit his lip, this seemed… intimate, like he was almost invading upon Roppi's space. He looked away, his face heating up a moment before it started to burn in embarrassment. Roppi took his hand and guided it to the center of his back.

"It's cold here…"

"Here?" Tsuki looked at his hand, darker than the pale skin under it.

The raven-haired boy nodded, looked down at his hands. "…help me…please…"

The small plea made Tsuki look up, meeting his friend's gaze. The sorrow that those eyes of his held, it made him anxious to console. He leaned forward, removing his hand to press his lips to the brunet's back. "When I was really little, vatti always kissed my owies so that they would get better. According to him, love makes pain run away and never come back."

_"Vatti?" Tsuki looked up at him, his eyes full of tears as he held the switchblade he had found in Izaya's office. The informant looked over and gasped, leaping to his feet and rushing over._

_"Tsuki! What happened? Who did this?" _

_"I f-f-found it-t in your-r off-f-f-fice and t-t-thought…It hur-rts..." Tsuki sobbed into the informant's chest and Izaya wrapped his arms around him, picking him up and carrying him along the hallways. _

_"Shh~ Tsuki-chan. It's okay. You should be learning how to use one soon anyway. What you're holding is called a flickblade. It cuts things." He sat the boy down on the bathtub rim and fumbled under the sink for the first aid kit._

_"I'm sor-r-rr-r-ry..."_

_"Shh, stop crying, Tsukishima." Izaya dabbed at the cut with an alcohol soaked cottonball and kissed his tears away. "I'm glad you found it."_

_"It r-r-really hurts-s-s."_

_"I know, Tsuki-chan. I know." Izaya smiled up at him as he began to wrap gauze around it. "You know what though?"_

_Tsuki sniffled, looking at Izaya questioningly._

_"I know a magical spell that will make it all better. Watch." He lifted the wounded hand to his lips and kissed it, looking up at the boy with the most affection-filled gaze Tsuki had ever seen on the man. "There." He set Tsuki's hand back onto his lap and smiled, "love makes owies go bye bye." _

_"It does?"_

_Izaya nodded, "yep. It was a magic spell found by my great great great great…" Izaya paused a moment, looking around," …Hibiya. Yes. My great great great ancestor Prince Hibiya found it when he fell in love with the elusive neighboring kingdom's Delic. Together the two of them lived for centuries before being taken to Valhalla."_

_"Val-h-h-h-"_

_"Yes, Valhalla. Now then, food time?"_

_Tsuki nodded, completely confused by the informant's story._

"It really works to have someone love the pain away too." Tsuki looked at Roppi as he explained his memory and Roppi smiled faintly.

"I love vatti…"

"Me too…" Tsuki smiled brightly before standing up, hearing the small chime before the doors opened. "Come on, we need…to…find…"

The boys paused as they heard sounds from a nearby doorway.

"Dammit Iza-AHH!"

"Hehehe, Shizzy having some jizzing problems?"

"F-AH! I will kill you louse!"

"Define kill?"

"AHHH Iza- iza- !"

"Oh what a mess! The nurses will not be sending you any holiday cards this year."

"Vatti being hurt?" Roppi glared at the door.

"It sounds like dad is…" Tsuki pulled Roppi with him as the sounds changed.

"GET OVER HE-AH-RE…"

"Ahahaah- WHA- NNNGHHH…Shizu-chan…"

"Dammit… You're paying for this!"

"Nnghh…Shizu…Shi… Ahh…There… No…nghh…" The sounds made Tsuki shiver as he and the brunet approached the door, Tsuki turning the knob and opening the door slowly.

Everyone froze as the two duos met.

"Shizuo hurt Vatti." Roppi's face burned in hatred of the blond man currently biting down on Izaya's neck like some vampire. Tsuki frowned at the scene, taking off his glasses to clean them with his scarf.

"I think I need these replaced…"

Izaya pulled away from Shizuo and hastily replaced his jacket around his person, successfully shooing the blond from his person.

Shizuo looked over at Roppi and glared back, "I was not hurting Izaya."

"You made him bleed!"

"WE WERE JUST F- WE WERE DOING GROWN UP THINGS!"

"Shizu-chan~ careful~," Izaya smirked as he sang the warning.

Roppi didn't relent though, "go die."

Ignoring the mirth-shaking informant, Shizuo stood up and grabbed the small boy, pulling him into the next room.

Tsuki sniffed and frowned, "why is this smell everywhere?"

"Smell?" Izaya sniffed before grinning, "why that is the smell of true love, Tsuki-chan. A perfect combination of frustration, passion, and lust."

"Oh… love smells weird."

"I know. We should tell Shizu-chan to work on his endurance."

~.~

Shizuo glared at the Roppi, "Why do you hate me?"

"Die."

"Shut up and tell me why you hate me!"

Roppi crossed his arms, glaring at him, "…you hurt vatti…"

"I hur- He's fine! He liked it!"

"…you are evil."

"HOW AM I EVIL!"

The brunet just glared at him. His red eyes judging Shizuo before the boy tried to turn away.

Shizuo reached out and turned him around, glaring at him. "We're not done talking."

"I don't wanna talk to you no more… go away or I will insult you a second time…"

"Ropp-"

"Hachimenroppi," Roppi insisted angrily.

Shizuo sighed, "We're going to be seeing each other often-"

"No! Stay away from vatti!"

"Izaya and I are a couple, we're going to be sticking together-"

"No! Go away!"

"Roppi-"

"Hachimenroppi! Get it right!"

"Listen! I'm not arguing this with you! If we really must fight, then so be it, but Izaya and I are staying together!"

Roppi smirked at him, "fine…"

Huh? That was different… "really?"

"Vatti won't want you around though…"

"Yeah? Why's that?"

Roppi's eyes darted around the room before he sat down and bawled, sobbing into his jacket sleeves. Shizuo stared at him in shock a moment before the door opened and Tsuki came running in, Izaya behind him.

Tsuki sprinted to the boy's side, wrapping his arms around him immediately. "Roppi-san!"

Roppi shook his head, clinging to him, "…hate Shizuo-san…"

"What happened?" Tsuki looked up at Shizuo warily.

"Shizuo-san smacked me."

Izaya blinked a moment in shock, "You hit Roppi-chan?"

"Flea, I didn't!"

"Tummy hurts…"

"Oh Roppi!" Tsuki hugged him close, "I'm sorry! I should have never left your side…"

"Shizuo just stared at him as Izaya sighed, "come on Tsuki. Roppi-chan. We're leaving since you two appear to be done with the doctor."

"Okay." Tsuki helped the for whatever reason stumbling Roppi and led him from the room, "come on Roppi-san. We'll go home and you can rest in my bed while I draw."

"You should take a nap with me," Roppi looked over at him and Tsuki smiled, blushing a bit as he hid his face in his scarf.

"S-sure…"

Izaya let them pass before sighing, "and here we had been getting along so well… I'll see you around Shizzy-chan." He turned, waving to the ex-bartender as he walked slowly after the two boys, "it's been a blast, but I gotta bounce."

"Izaya! He was lying! I never-"

Izaya's footsteps and the thumping of his cast against the ground paused as he turned around, his gaze stoic. "It doesn't matter what you say. The fact remains that he _says_ it happened. What happens when a boy cries rape to a crowd of strangers? Does the accused get any say? It's guilty proven innocent, Shizu-chan. And you've got yourself quite an interesting adversary."

"Izaya! You shouldn't be walking!"

"I'll get me and the boys a cab. Bye Shizzy!" He waved with a grin before walking away.

Shizuo started after when he noticed the nurses flocking about the place. A man running nearby.

"Ahh… you wouldn't happen to be related to Tsukishima would you?" He panted as he spoke.

"My son, why?"

"You know where those two ran off too?"

"They went home with Izaya."

"Damn…"

"So what's wrong with 'em?"

"Hmm?" The doctor sighed, "I wouldn't say for sure, but it would appear that Hachimenroppi has a weak immune system. Not terribly weak, as in in need of a bubble to live in, but not as strong as others. We have his blood tests going now so we'll know more later, but for now, all we can say for sure is that your son and Hachimenroppi has a very good relationship with him."

"Yeah he does…" Shizuo looked over at the man wearily, "where's the nearest smoker's area?"

"Back gardens, three doors down." The man sighed, "I think I'll join you. I was hired to take care of kids, not have them biting my hand off."

"He's a manipulative thing, isn't he?"

"Can you tell me a bit about him?"

Shizuo sighed, "it'll make no fucking sense to ya."

"Don't care, need something to think about while I smoke."

"Second thought, I should run after them." Shizuo looked back towards the front doors, seeing Izaya wave a taxi down out front.

"Sure. Just remember, you're the adult, no matter how stubborn a kid can get, you just have to remember you are the one in control. If they misbehave, you can pull things they want from them, just make sure to really get behind the good times, otherwise kids'll hate you."

Shizuo smiled a bit as he thought about that. "Thanks." He sprinted outside and grabbed the informant before he stepped into the taxi out front. The informant looked up at him a moment before chuckling.

"Took you long enough, Shizu-chan."

"Had to clean our mess up in the backroom."

"They have janitors. I'm sure it would have cleaned itself eventually."

Shizuo pulled the brunet in and slammed the door shut, grabbing Roppi and pulling the resisting child onto his lap. "Don't care, flea. Let's just get home."

As Izaya gave the address to his apartment, Shizuo looked down at the boy in his arms. The angry mini flea glared up at him, as though wishing his hate could disintegrate the ex-bartender. Shizuo smirked at him, hugging him close. "We are going to have a grand time together Roppi-chan."

"Go die."

"We can play all sorts of fun games."

Izaya looked over at them and whispered to Tsuki quietly, who in turn looked over at them and giggled, whispering back to Izaya.

"I hate you," Roppi looked up at him and Shizuo sighed.

"Such a shame, and here I thought we could have some fun together."

"No, go die."

"You don't have a big vocabulary do you?" Shizuo laughed, realizing just how familiar this whole conversation was.

_"You don't have a big vocabulary, do you Shizu-chan?"_

_"Die…" Shizuo stalked forward and Izaya leaped up onto a nearby fire escape, climbing to a window and opening it. _

_"We'll just have-_

"We'll just have to work on your diction, won't we?" Roppi's gaze narrowed to slits before he turned around and stared out the window.

"Dad," Tsuki looked over at him.

"What is it?"

"Vatti says he's rubbing off on you and that you're rubbing off on Roppi-san."

Shizuo shrugged as Roppi tried again to escape his lap. "I hate Shizuo-san. I'll never be like him!"

"That's too bad," Izaya looked sadly at Roppi, "I happen to find Shizu-chan to be fun to play with."

~.~

_**A/N:**_

_**PI: lazy~ness~**_

_**Tsugaru: -lounging nearby- **_

_**PI: Tsu-chan~ write my fanfics for me!**_

_**Tsugaru: -looks up- Info-san, they will wait for you. **_

_**PI: I gotta update faster~ must do more~**_

_**Tsugaru: -shakes head- You should rest, then make up some for Roppi's stubborn Shizuo-like behavior in this chapter.**_

_**PI: I see ten reviews, that'll happen. Until then…I think I'm going to play some music…**_

_**Tsugaru: Review happy?**_

_**PI: Always. =3=b**_


	55. Chapter 55

"Home sweet home!" Izaya chirped from the arms of the debt collector. Roppi and Tsuki were already moving towards the kitchen.

"I'm hungry~ w-we should have lunch."

"…food."

The informant looked up at Shizuo expectantly. "I'm hungry too."

"…And what am I supposed to do about that?"

"Well, since I'm out of commission and can't make food…"

Shizuo started, "you expect me to know how to cook?"

"Shizu-chan~"

"Louse, I can barely cook much."

"Go get me something to eat then."

"…"

"Oooh! Take Roppi with you! TSUKI~!" Shizuo winced at the man's volume and watched the two children bounce over to them. Izaya nearly could have been squealing with his out of character behavior. "Shizu-chan came up with a great idea! Tsuki and I are going to take a nap and Roppi can go out with Shizu-chan to get some food!"

Tsuki shook his head, "but I don't want to have to leave Ro-"

"Tsuki-chan~ my leg hhuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrts."

The blond flailed, looking to Roppi for support.

"I wanna stay with Vatti."

"I'll go with dad!" Tsuki volunteered. Shizuo went to agree when Izaya whined.

"I've been hurt so many times though! Shizu-chan doesn't need your protection like I do!"

"Then both Roppi and I can-"

"Someone's gotta keep Shizu-chan in line. What if he sees some really cute girl walking down the street that loves monsters~?"

"Why you fle-"

"Dad can call Onkel Kasuka."

"Tsuki. Japanese. Japanese only." Izaya chastised.

"…" Tsuki looked at him sadly, holding onto his friend. Roppi hugged him back, near tears.

"I don't wanna go with Shizu-baka. He's mean and evil."

"It will be a short trip. Who knows, maybe you'll learn to stop trying to kill each other when the Tsuki and I aren't looking." Izaya shot Shizuo a look before clapping his hands together. "Hurry up now. I'm supposed to eat with my medicine!"

Shizuo could only shake his head, dumping him on the couch and offering his hand to the small flea next to Tsuki. "Come on, the quicker we go, the quicker we can get back."

"…Don't touch me." Roppi growled at him before heading back out the door.

"Have a great time boys!" The informant waved, shuffling on the couch before reaching out and pulling Tsuki over to the couch by his scarf. "We'll be waiting~!"

"Be careful Roppi-san." Tsuki looked like he was about to sob as the door was shut and Shizuo looked at his charge.

A mini Izaya glared back up at him. "what food are we getting?"

"I don't know… Hamburgers or somethi-"

"I want ootoro."

"I want to stay home, it looks like we're both going to be disappointed."

"I hate you."

"You've said that before. Freaking annoying. Just shut up and get to the elevator." Without checking on him, Shizuo headed towards the doors and waited for the compartment to reach their floor.

"…Why don't you die…"

"Why do you hate me?"

"Because you are mean."

Shizuo shook his head and was grateful as the elevator chimed. The doors opened only for Shizuo to blink in surprise. The small space was nearly full of people. Hadn't they just come up and it was empty?

"I'm staying ho-WAHH WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Roppi smacked at him as Shizuo picked him up and got into the small cramped space.

"Izaya will be pissed if we don't bring food back. We should just hurry up and get on with this."

The boy glowered at him before the woman nearby holding her son smiled and her boy grinned. "Are you going to go have fun with your parents too," the boy asked.

"No, I want my _parent_," Roppi said it like it was the most disgusting taste he had ever had to endure, "to die. I would prefer to slit his throat and finger paint with the blood, maybe send pictures so that the world knows that it's safe fro-"

"He's joking." Shizuo quickly interrupted, looking at Roppi angrily, "you were watching that horror movie again weren't you? Your mother and I are going to have a serious talk when we get home."

"Go die."

"Roppi~"

"Hachimenroppi."

"Roppi-chan~"

"HACHIMENROPPI! IT'S HACHIMENROPPI YOU POOP FACE! I WILL FINGER PAINT WITH YOUR INSIDES!"

The woman looked at them both in concern, moving her and her son away before the elevator reached the bottom floor and the elevator emptied. Shizuo and Roppi continued to glare at one another.

"…"

"…"

"I hate you, poop face."

"You're making it very hard to deal with you."

Roppi reached up and pinched his cheeks, tugging, "stop wearing Tsuki's face. Tsuki's better than you."

"Why? Because you get him into trouble?"

"I didn'-"

"The doctor was very upset with you both-"

"That man was mean. He tried to kill me-"

"He was trying to help you!"

"He stole my blood like a monster."

"He was doing a blood test. That way we could make sure you are healthy."

"I am heal-" The boy started to cough hard and Shizuo felt his nerves spike.

"Are…are you alright?" He held Roppi closer and the boy pushed at him.

"You smell ugly."

"You smell like crap too."

"…poop face."

"Alright. So we're getting hamburgers."

"Ootoro."

"Too much sodium."

"Tell them to take out some smodium then."

"SO-dium. It's sodium."

"…you're stupid."

"Says the person who can't say sodium," they began to head down the sidewalks of Ikebukuro towards Russian Sushi as Roppi bounced around in his arms, his coat slipping from his shoulders frequently, much to his distress. He seemed to want to growl and glare at everything.

"You're mean Shizu-poop face."

"Are you incapable of being friendly to anyone besides Tsuki and Izaya?"

"Everyone else is mean."

"How would everyone else except two people be mean?"

"Tsuki saved me from the mean doctors and vatti is like me. Everyone else is mean."

"…What if I told you that Izaya was a very mean person?"

"No, vatti is a good person."

"He used to try to persuade people to jump from buildings."

"People should jump from buildings."

"NO!" Shizuo nearly shouting this, much to the raised eyebrows and muttering around him, "people should not do that!"

"…Why not?" Roppi looked at him seriously, "people are bad, bad people should die, vatti was doing the world a favor."

"So people like Tsuki should go die?"

"NOO! I SAID BAD PEOPLE!" Roppi smacked him.

"…So people like Vatti?"

"NOOOOOOOO! YOU ARE A BAD PERSON! GO DIE!" Roppi continued to smack him as they reached the shop and Shizuo waved in greetings to Simon.

"Alright, so if there are only two good people in the world, why haven't they died? Don't you think they would get lonely and miserable alone?"

"That's why there's two of them." Roppi murmured, clinging to him as people cooed at the 'cute child' in Shizuo's arms. "They won't get lonely and can create more good people."

"How would they do that?"

"I don't know…"

"Are you saying that you are a bad person?"

"NOOO! I'm not a person. I'm…" Roppi glared at him, going quiet. The debt collector ordered to go and looked down to see the boy fumbling with the fur trim of his jacket.

"So what are you then?"

"…I'm a… a monster… but a good monster…"

"A good monster?"

"I can't be human because from what that mean doctor said, I was born in some bottle thingy. I was made from scraps according to him, but…" the boy looked at his jacket as though it had become the most fascinating thing in the world, "I don't want to hurt anyone though so I am a good…" The boy looked up at him again and glared once more. "I hate you."

And here they had been making progress.

"Fine, hate me then. I know how you feel though, I'm not exactly considered human either." Shizuo thanked the crew behind the counter as they got their food and set Roppi down to walk next to him.

They marched down the street in silence for several moments, before Roppi looked up at him again, "so you aren't human?"

"I never said that, technically we're both human."

"But you were from a bottle thingy too?"

"No, but-"

"So you are normal."

"I wouldn't-"

"Which is it? Are you a monster or a human?"

"Look if you give me a moment to finish a damn senten-"

"You take too long to answer."

"Look Flea! I am not considered human because I'm abnormally strong!"

"Boring…"

"Boring? I will have you know I was separated from all the other kids I knew growing up because of it!"

"You bore me…"

"HEY!" Shizuo glared down at him as they reached the street of the apartment. "I had a lot of issues growing up too! I'm just saying that you shouldn't feel alone with all of yours, let some others in-"

Roppi yawned and started to literally skip ahead, his coat flapping in the wind, "Tsuki~ we're almost home~"

"ROPPI! SLOW DOWN DAMMIT!" Shizuo ran after him, catching up quickly and nearly dropping their food as they entered the building. They rode the elevator up in silence, thankfully it was emptier than before. The compartment pinged at their stop, doors opened to let them out. They approached the apartment and Roppi knocked loudly.

"Tsuki-san!"

…

"Maybe they really did take a nap." Shizuo fumbled in his pocket for the key to the place and opened the door only to pause.

Roppi looked at the empty couch and hurried inside, shedding his coat and shoes in the doorway, "vatti? Tsuki?" He ran to the kitchen first, turning to run down the hallway of the house, the sound of doors slamming as he went. "VATTI! TSUKI! TSUKIII! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?"

Shizuo's attention was focused on the barren desks. Izaya's computers were gone as well as Tsuki's easel. His blank little canvases were missing from leaning on the wall. The only thing Shizuo could think of was…

They left.

Roppi ran back in and was in tears. "Tsuki and vatti have gone missing! We need to find them!"

"Roppi-"

The boy was breaking into tears, "Tsuki would never leave. He must have been stolen. He said he wouldn't leave me. He said…" Sobs wracked the boy's frame and Shizuo set the food aside, pulling the boy into his arms and hugging him tight. "I hate you… Tsuki and vatti are gone and I'm stuck with you…"

"Trust me when I say you aren't my first choice either…"

Roppi began to hit him, "I hate you. I want vatti. I miss Tsuki. Tsuki loves me and I hate you."

"Roppi…"

"Go die and get eaten by bad people."

"Roppi!"

The boy let out a sob of complete anguish and collapsed in his arms, "I just… just want Tsuki…"

"Shhhh, Roppi, we'll find them. They won't be missing for long."

"…"

"Hey," Shizuo forced the boy to look up at him and smiled a bit, leaning forward to kiss the brunet's forehead, "those two probably got lost. Maybe we should have bought leashes for them."

"Leashes?"

"We make them wear collars and whenever they want to leave we put leashes on them so they don't go running off."

"Huh?"

"They would be like pets."

"…pets?"

Shizuo paused a moment before trying again, "we should make Izaya and Tsuki make us dinner since we had to go find them lunch only for them to go missing on us."

The boy rubbed his nose, sniffling and nodded, "vatti can cook…"

"And we can play with Tsuki while he does."

Roppi looked up at him and stayed quiet a moment before nodding, "…fine… I like you a little, but only because you are going to help me find vatti and Tsuki, then I will hate you again."

~.~

_**A/N: I'm so, incredibly, undeniably sorry for the slow update. **_

_**Here, I have made you a one delicious, fresh out of the oven, update. I will have more for you later since I am getting small increments of free time! Woohoo! **_


	56. Chapter 56

"Vatti, this is mean…"

Izaya looked upon the somber scene and watched as the two had no choice, but to seek comfort in one another. His eyes never strayed to the boy in his lap. Tsuki pushed at him more violently.

"Vatti, Roppi-san looks really sad."

"Shush, we have to do this."

"No we don't! It doesn't make sense. They are really sad-"

"Are they?" Izaya looked down at him, his eyes dark in ire. "Do they really miss us, Tsuki? How fast do you think the two will go before replacing us? They could invite Shizu-chan's boss to live with them. They could go live with _uncle_ Kasuka."

Tsuki stared at him, "…but…t-they wouldn't-t do that…"

"They wouldn't?" Izaya looked at him seriously, "I'm testing that-"

"Dad loves you though…" Tsuki murmured, burying his face into his scarf.

"We're just going to make sure of that. A little experiment never hurt anyone."

"You can test it alone. Roppi needs me-"

Izaya clamped a hand over the boy's mouth and pointed at the screen, "Roppi-chan looks fine. He's being comforted by Shizu-chan."

"…" Tsuki glared at him until the hand was moved off his mouth, "…I don't like this. I wanna go home and play with Roppi."

"It's better we break the whole fantasy family idea off now than be hurt later, Tsuki." Izaya sighed, "sometimes we leave while the going is good."

"But it was fi-"

"Tsuki, how long were we going to continue to try to be a family? How long were we going to try to overcome all these terrible things that happened? We had your uncle try to kill us. I nearly froze to death. Every time we are near your father, one of us is in danger."

Sorrow grew in the boy's eyes, being drowned in the tears that were forming.

"We would continue in this vicious cycle for ages, Tsuki. We would fight and fight until karma finally got its final say and someone get hurt to the point of death." The informant looked at him, holding onto him. "Don't you think it's better this way? We can leave now? Shizuo and Roppi-chan can grow closer and live with one another." He wiped at the tears falling on the other's face and smiled, "we'll always have a piece of one another now. Shizu-chan will have Roppi and I will have my Tsuki-chan. Isn't that nice?"

"I'm… I'm gonna miss Roppi and dad…"

"I will too, but it's okay. We left them a nice big place to stay and we can see them whenever we want," he motioned to the camera monitors as he said this. "They'll never really be alone."

"…I'll miss them…"

"Tsuki," Izaya looked at him stoically, "you swore to me. You swore you would not speak to them without my permission. I expect you to not go anywhere near them."

The boy looked at the screen, watching his best friend sob into their father's arms. He felt his fists curl, his brows furrowing. He felt resentment coil in his chest as he looked at his vatti. Overall, he felt regret, putting his only friend in the world through so much trouble and pain.

"I won't go near them," Tsuki responded, his face cast towards the floor.

"Good," Izaya smiled at him and kissed his nose, "you must be hungry. Shall we see what Dotachin has made for us?"

"…sure…" Tsuki felt himself going numb inside, the pain and depression setting in.

"Maybe you can do some painting after we eat," Izaya offered.

"…I don't feel like doing art today…"

~.~

The duo lay numbly in the living room. They had been there for hours. The food they had gotten lay cold near the door. The bedrooms were ripped to shreds, the mattresses demolished. The doors to several rooms were ripped from their hinges, broken in pieces in the hallway.

Carmine and mocha orbs stared at the ceiling. Anger rippled between the two.

"That damn, fucking flea…"

"…Tsuki…"

"Shit, I knew I shouldn't have left him alone. He always has run away. The damn coward."

"…Tsuki…"

"What part of becoming a family did he not get? Is it that impossible to just stay still for a while? Fucking flea never leaves me alone and suddenly when I want him around he's running off like a wuss."

"…I miss Tsuki."

Shizuo looked over at the boy lying nearby. His frown increased. Izaya was right about his mouth. He had successfully taught the kid more curse words than he should know. Roppi knew what they meant too, he had helped him shout them as they had wrecked the place. Slowly, he reached out, pulling a willing Roppi into his arms to hug him. "I miss 'em too, Roppi."

"…I… really miss…them…"

"I know… I know…"

"What are we going to do?"

"We'll just have to stay here." He looked around before turning his gaze back to Roppi, "and when we find those two, we'll make sure they are every bit as regretful as we are angry right now."

Roppi nodded, snuggling in closer in his arms. "…I still hate you."

"I know."


	57. Chapter 57

"Shizuo-san…"

It was late, the lights low but not turned off so that if either woke up, they would know that the place still had someone there. Still, as Shizuo lifted himself up from the pillows and looked over, he saw the small figure standing angrily in the doorway. His red eyes filled with disgust.

But more than that, they were filled with tears.

"What's going on, Hachimen-"

"Can I sleep with you?"

Shizuo looked over at him a moment. Both of them staring at one another before Roppi shook his head.

"Nevermind, it was-"

"Yeah, come on then."

Roppi looked up only to see Shizuo pulling the blankets back. The boy eagerly moved across the room, as though fleeing a foe. He climbed onto the bed rather ungracefully, trying to pull Izaya's jacket from nearby with him into bed. Shizuo shook his head.

"What are you doing with that?"

"I'm cold…"

"Cold," Shizuo repeated the words, his mind flickering back to the time in Russia. The shivering informant, the pain of not knowing whether Izaya would ever be okay again, the lies; he hadn't wanted it to turn out like this.

Roppi nodded, "It's cold in here."

"Here," Shizuo took the jacket and wrapped it around the small figure, zipping it up and shaking his head, "you can't even see your hands through that thing."

Roppi smiled a bit, "I like that… I want all my coats like this."

"Let's get some sleep."

The boy nodded, snuggling in close, much to Shizuo's surprise. Not that the shock lasted long. Soon enough the duo was completely snuggled against one another, holding on as though the other would fade into the shadows of the room. They held each other as though they were kindred spirits, a couple of lonely souls lost to the storms of time and space.

Shizuo buried his face against the jacket, breathing in the scent of the louse. His mind flickering up the time he had gotten with his informant, his rival and lover.

Roppi meanwhile preoccupied himself with wrapping his small arms around the ex-bartender's head, nuzzling the bleach blond hair that reminded him of Tsukishima.

They drifted to bittersweet slumber like that. Clinging to each other for their lives, knowing that the other two weren't planning on coming back; they made the most of their situation.

Even as the sun rose, awakening them; they were still weary. Shizuo kissed the boy's forehead, waking him up gently as he knew how.

"…Tsuki…" The boy clung to him as Shizuo pulled him out of bed, carrying him to his and Tsuki's room.

"Come on, let's get you dressed."

"I don't wanna get dressed."

Shizuo shook his head, "you have to. You need to get up and do something today."

"I don't wanna live without Tsuki…" Bleary carmines opened to look up at Shizuo. "I want to die…"

"Roppi, you don't mean that."

"I wanna die… I don't want to live without Tsuki…" Tears rolled down his face softly. "I love Tsuki. I miss vatti."

"We'll find them," Shizuo cooed to the boy, helping him change into clean clothes, "be patient with me Roppi."

"How long must I wait… How long will I have to be contained in a prison before I can live the way I want to?"

Shizuo looked up at him, thumbs brushing over the small boy's cheeks, wiping away the tears escaping him. "It doesn't feel fair, does it?"

Roppi nodded, "I hate humans. They take away everything from me. They leave me here in the dark in prisons of all different types just to make me want to die and be free more."

Shizuo shook his head, "you don't want to die, Roppi. You want to be happy."

"I can't be happy without Tsuki."

The blond nodded, "and I can't seem to function without Izaya…"

"We have to find them," the brunet said determinedly, "we gotta find them and make sure they never leave us again. We just gotta make them as happy as they make us."

"How do you think we should do that?" Shizuo asked, distracting himself from his own pain by focusing on Roppi. He carried the boy to the kitchen as Roppi chattered on.

"We gotta get them things and we gotta watch Tsuki paint because he likes doing that. We need to get him special paper too. He loves to draw. Maybe we can learn that game that vatti always plays too. He seems to be happy with that board thingy in the living room."

"Izaya and I… we always end up fighting, Roppi. He might have left because…" Shizuo felt something tug at the back of his shirt and he turned and bent down only to have Roppi wipe at his eyes.

"You wanna die too without vatti here."

"I don't want to-"

He blinked in shock as Roppi leaned forward and kissed him. His eyes grew wide as Roppi pulled back and smiled a bit again. "We just gotta tell them that and they won't ever want to leave us, okay?"

"…"

"What?" Roppi looked at him expectantly.

"Who…uh… told you to kiss people?"

"Isn't that what you do with sad people? That's what those humans on tv do…"

Shizuo shook his head, "hugs work too."

"Oh." The boy blushed profusely, covering his cheeks in an effort to hide the pink. "I'll just hu-"

Shizuo kissed his nose and grinned, "it was nice of you to try to cheer me up though, Roppi."

"It's Hachimenroppi…" His face grew even more pink as he shifted on his feet in embarrassment. He looked around the kitchen before nodding, "I'm just… gonna go watch something on tv until you finish making food…"

Shizuo watched the boy run away and felt a smile form on his face more. The hole was still there inside of him, but…

He still had to take care of Roppi. He would just try to focus on being a good father to Roppi and let his concerns focus there. His own needs could come later.

~.~

_**A/N: -sobs- ROPPI! You're so cute I want to eat you! Happy Easter peeps. =w=b Sorry for the LATE update. **_


	58. Chapter 58

It was the masochistic tango in the sheets.

Roll to the left, the sobs overflowed the sound waves, sending shivers down the poor boy's spine.

Roll to the right, arms clung to him, a face burying itself into his hair.

The murmurs… It made specters of the night seem like simple fairies. The whole thing ripped at his heart strings. He couldn't take it. The sorrow curled around his stomach. It clawed its way up his throat, threatening to choke him. The emotion was like a beast, threatening to tear him apart. The immaculate dream was broken, unable to be fixed.

"Shizu… Shizu-chan…" The cries and the pawing were like nails driven into his soul. Tsuki felt the tears spilling forth from him again, he felt his head throb as it ached from the loss of the ex-bartender and his only friend. Roppi…

He hoped the boy was okay.

He had wanted them to move on. Sneaking night after night into the informant's workroom when he left to meet with his boss; he longed to see Roppi happy. If only for a small smile like he had seen on the boy's face when they were together. He had hoped maybe… maybe this time Shizuo would find a way to make him happy.

The only thing that was found was the same day after day since they had left two months ago.

The world was falling apart on them all.

Not even Izaya was the same…

He would focus on his work. He would cook and put in movies, often whatever Erika had left around the house before she and the van gang left to go do… whatever they did, but when Tsuki looked at his eyes, he found them dimmer. The shine gone from them as each day passed.

He listened to the nights grow more loud. He felt sicker, his whole person felt like it was getting weaker.

Roppi would never smile for anyone. When Shizuo had tried to bring a boy over who Tsuki recognized as a neighbor boy, Roppi would move away, glaring at the other boy and saying something, although Tsuki couldn't hear him. He watched Roppi scare the boy when the kid tried to get closer. He watched the mother yell at Shizuo, only for Shizuo to hold Roppi and say something to make the woman leave.

He watched the two grow closer over the monitor, and he felt his heart break.

Was he not wanted?

Did they miss him at all?

He would watch them play games, come back from wherever they went only for Shizuo to smile at him, watch whatever Roppi wanted to watch, cook. The ex-bartender even went out and bought Roppi a cat.

Day after day on a monitor…

And then nights cuddling a sobbing, sleeping informant…

Izaya rolled over again and Tsuki curled up tight as he heard the choked sobs escaping the informant. As much as he had hated the man's decision…

Izaya was right…

Roppi and Shizuo had moved on without them.

They were alone and no one cared.

~.~

Shizuo…

Roppi crawled into the man's room again, not even bothering with his own room at this point. It was lonely and full of those offensive bright colors. He hated them. Shizuo's room was dark and smelled good.

He crept over to the bed, fumbling to climb on and wrap his arms around the blond.

"Roppi, I swear if you have a knife and try to kill me and then yourself again, I will lock you in your room."

"Shizu-san," Roppi nuzzled into his arms, "I miss Tsuki."

The blond sighed before rubbing the boy's back. "I know you do." He frowned as the boy continued to snuggle against him, moving around. "…what are you doing."

"Something is touching my leg under the blankets…"

Shizuo frowned a moment before trying to slide away a bit, face paling. DAMN! That was not supposed to be there. It was probably that damn fur coat. Roppi had been snuggling in it every damn night and it still smelled like-

"Is that your shooter?" Roppi ducked under the blankets and Shizuo flailed.

"Roppi! Get out from under there!"

"It sticks up like a tent…" The boy touched it and Shizuo was flailing off the bed. His face scarlet and he looked at the boy in terror. What happened to the boy that hated him?

"Roppi! Your room. NOW!"

"It's too bright. I don't like it. I wanna sleep with you."

Shizuo spluttered, lost for words. His mind was a mess, trying to find words in a storm of astonishment. "just… stay there…" One foot flat against the floor, then the other; he forced himself to his feet, heading towards the bathroom. Damn kid… "Fuck…"

"Shizu-chan said another bad word~" Roppi called, the nickname in that voice sending blood running south in the blond.

"ROPPI! GO TO BED!"

"Such a mean person…"

Roppi grinned though, he was starting to really like Shizuo. Especially after yelling at that lady and her kid for being mean to him; he didn't need other kids. Other pathetic humans abandoned others, leaving them to be upset and die.

Shizuo wasn't like that though. He always stayed. He was always here. When he had to go beat people up, he would take him along and he would stay with Tom-san. Tom was stupid though. He didn't seem to like Shizuo.

That was stupid.

Why were humans so stupid.

Maybe everyone needed to be a monster to understand how perfect monsters were. They were more flawed, but in that, more striving for perfection. It made him and Shizuo better. They were more loyal, more hardworking. They were just better in general.

Roppi looked down at himself and touched himself a moment.

"I wonder why Shizuo's stands up so tall…"

Maybe it was a grown up thing…

~.~

**_A/N: I have nothing to say. Have a gute day/night._**

**_Reviews are greatly appreciated._**


	59. Chapter 59

Izaya yawned as dawn came through the open window. His gaze flickered between it and the empty space beside him. The sun spilled forth from Erika's spare bedroom window, shining well into the room. Morning had in fact arrived.

His second yawn was louder, arms outstretched as he listened to the small pops of his shoulders falling into place. His face in the mirror nearby was red tinged as usual. Early mornings were becoming troublesome. He should be getting himself up more at this time, possibly earlier.

His mind had been swept up in his human emotions last night. These emotions were becoming a nuisance to him now, plaguing his dreams. Sometimes he wondered if he had ever left the snow and cold. Was this all a dream? Was this his hell?

He had abandoned his newfound son with his lover. He had forced a promise upon his own naturally born son that would sever every bond that the boy would ever have. Upon the vows and promises he had made to himself, he had successfully broken them into pieces.

All the promises to destroy his humanity, his flaws in lieu of Godhood; he had broken them.

All the vows to chastity, to a pure being unmarred by the effects of bodily lust and temptation; he had tossed away as though mere sidenotes of unimportance.

Life was a dream, as someone wise had once said. When he had been told that, so long ago before, it had amused him. It had made him merely smirk and carry on. Why was it, the most broken of people always seemed to find meaning in the most enigmatic of messages. That people could and would always interpret the words of one another to their own translations.

If life was truly a dream, then Izaya was the most masochistic of dreamers. His ideals and choices a discordance from what could be considered a dream. Such a plot his mind could create!

To find love, to have it tested in ways that would threaten to shake the foundations of his beliefs. He went through the destruction, finding himself being destroyed by the monster he had come to create. He had taken a loving, caring teenager, someone who wanted nothing more than to fit in and created the monster of Ikebukuro. He blew into the flames of that somewhat mild temper, feeding it, helping it grow. He went so far into the creation, he found himself drawn to it; drawn back to the blond.

And his dream, his nightmare had flipped those tables on him. He could see that now, understanding, but unwilling to fully accept. His monster had broken the initial wall between them. Shizuo fighting at every turn, small intelligent moments breaking the ties to which Izaya tried to place to keep his instincts in check. As Shizuo had gone from somewhat angered to an embodiment of personified hatred, Izaya had gone from selfish caring to something…

To something that he could- would never be able to explain.

The person he was today was unconcerned with the idea of Valhalla, the thoughts to continue to prey and tread upon the low lives of the city. Amusing and entertaining as it was, he had something to lose now.

He had risen up above his low perch, his metaphorical gaze overlooking the city from his place. The fall he could be pushed into was too great for him to overcome. Was that not why he had tried to grasp the reins of his dream, his life, and steer them clear of such a drop?

"It's too early to be thinking on such matters," he murmured, shutting his eyes and the thoughts revolving through his head. He fell back against the pillows and felt yawn number three. "Tsuki~" the name came from him as a small smile graced his features now, "Tsuki, go tell Dotachin that he needs to start waking me up around this time now. Vatti needs to work again…"

Silence met his words.

"Tsuki," Izaya's voice grew a bit louder. His carmine eyes scanning the room only to find it empty.

Ah, Tsuki must have gone to play with Erika and Walker.

Good good. The boy needed a distraction. He had been correct in assuming that Tsuki would wander into his surveillance room. He had looped films of course, threw a nice cuddling before the television screen with going to bed. He had edited over the trashed home, the heart wrenching clean up to which the duo had sobbed during. It was as though the pain had never been there.

And in seeing the dying crimson color in Tsuki's eyes, Izaya knew exactly how deeply his dream would take him. The dead look in those eyes had been the final moment. His life had ended when Tsuki refused to paint, to draw, opting to listen quietly to Erika and Walker's prattling on about anime, waxing the van outside with Kadota.

He was no longer a dreamer, but a resident- no- a politic of hell.

Would anyone forgive him? Would anyone show him what mercy he could never reciprocate?

ENOUGH!

He stood up and headed out of the room, pausing as he ran into the otaku duo.

"Iza!" Erika wrapped her arms around him and beamed, "where's the love child? I want to show him a new anime." Her gaze turned more seductive, "we're talking an all new anime, one of which puts many others to shame. It makes them all look pathetic."

"Tsuki isn't with you?"

Walker shook his head, "Nah, Dotachin told us to let you and Tsuki sleep before he left with Togusa."

Izaya's blood ran cold, throat going dry as his body began to shake, "Tsuki isn't here then?"

"No, we just heard your door open, 'cause we've been listening, and thought it was Tsuki."

The image of warm sunlight pouring through the open window of Izaya's temporary room flickered back into his head before he wrapped an arm around both Erika and Walker. "My dear good friends, I think I've decided what we're going to do instead of watching another cartoon-"

"Ani-" Erika's mouth was covered as Izaya pulled the duo closer.

"Walker is going to grab the phone and dial up the dynamic van duo to help in finding Tsuki, Erika is going to go on a Shizuo visit to keep him from travelling, and do you know what I'm going to do?"

The duo shook their heads and Izaya's gaze hardened, "I'm going to find Tsuki, and we are going to go far far away."

With that, he released the two and headed for the door, "And my dear friends, don't consider breaking the plans. If I see the ex-bartender or red fur trim around the city, or if I catch wind that Tsuki has managed to get to Shizuo and Roppi; there will be consequences."

The informant walked out before Erika began to squeal, "I love him! He's just so tsundere. Did you hear that threat? And that gaze, oh my goodness, I think he's died a bit on the inside without having his Shizu-love fully satisfied."

"Erika," Walker looked at her in concern, "he wants to kill us if we try to set him and Shizuo back together. We need to fi-" Erika pulled the phone from his hand.

"Do NOT call Dotachin." Her gaze was darker now. "We're going on a nice walk down to Shizu's home."

"We're going to be killed by knives."

"Shhh, Walker. We can't let this angst continue."

"We're going to die…"

~.~

_**A/N: -stretches- Happy Shizuo day. I'm going to work now. =w= **_

_** Maybe I'll be nice and update a couple more fics when I return home.**_

_** Maybe…**_

_** Or~ I could leave you all wondering… **_

_** Reviews, they belong here. Leave them or wonder… what will happen?**_


	60. Chapter 60

Down one street, over to another, Tsuki's heart beat against his ribcage. He could hear the shouts of the strange women on the street. The street itself was unrecognizable. He was fearful of what the women could want.

He ran down the street as fast as his feet could take him.

No longer did he care. No longer did he mind that vatti would be angry. He didn't want to be apart from Roppi-san. He missed him so badly. He missed his friend. He missed the hugs he could give his friend.

He ran and ran until he could hardly breathe. And even then, he was still running.

Roppi…

He wanted to see Roppi again.

There was no choice anymore.

Izaya would be disappointed in him, but he couldn't be so heartless.

He ran forth down a new street.

Still nothing looked familiar. Perhaps he could have enlisted some help, but…

His heart cried out for the friend he had. It felt like he was broken into pieces. He couldn't stop himself. Everything felt misplaced

So it was almost natural to feel it hit him.

"TSUKISHIMA!" The informant's cry rang out, half shrieking.

He saw him though!

Hachimenroppi!

He stood there, just beyond his reach. He saw Roppi-san standing there waiting for him… Dad was there, turning around. He could see their faces. He could see the light return to Roppi's eyes. He could feel lightness coming to him. Tears pricked his eyes as he reached out. Roppi was right there. He could live with Roppi and Dad!

Shizuo's face grew fearful, "TSUKI!"

He didn't look, feeling it hit him.

They say that time speeds up, that you don't have time to react. No… Time slowed. He felt the front end of the car hit him, felt the headlights. He felt the pressure hit him. The tears still fell from his face as he hit the ground.

But…

He saw Roppi-san. He felt Roppi's tears hit his face as he looked down upon him.

"…pi-san…" He felt something come up as he choked.

"No! Tsuki…" Roppi cupped his face, tears streaming down his face. "No no no… Tsuki… Tsuki, you're going to be okay…"

"I… love you… Roppi-san…"

Roppi choked on a sob, his face turning red from how many tears streamed down his face. "It's okay, Tsuki. Vatti and Shizu-chan will take you to the hospital. We'll make you all better."

"…dying…"

"NO!" Roppi couldn't stop himself, he clung to Tsuki and sobbed. "You'll be okay!" The brunet turned to their parents. "TELL HIM HE'S WRONG!"

Shizuo was frozen, staring in terror at the scene. Izaya had grabbed onto the bartender. Something…something falling from his eyes.

Roppi glared at them, "CALL THE HOSPITAL!"

The group attracted a crowd. The sound of sirens came. Roppi looked down as Tsuki looked up at him and began to smile.

"Tsuki Tsuki Tsuki, It's going to be okay! The doctors will make you better!"

"You don't… believe…that…"

"They will help you! Please don't leave me Tsuki!" Roppi sobbed harder, "please Tsuki!"

"I love… Roppi-san…"

"NO! TSUKI! TELL ME THAT WHEN YOU ARE BETTER!" The tears poured harder from him as Tsuki cried. "TSUKI! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"Goodbye… Ro…pi…"

Roppi didn't leave his friend's side as the emergency unit came and set him in the vehicle. Shizuo and Izaya followed onto the vehicle. The ex-bartender grabbed the informant and pulled him close.

"Izaya…"

"Shut up, Shizu-chan…" The informant clung to him harder.

"How did he…"

"He ran off, ran to find you… And I couldn't stop him… I couldn't control him…"

Shizuo looked down at the hollow look in the informant's face and drew a shaking breath, "It… wasn't your fault…"

"I couldn't control him Shizu-chan. I couldn't predict this."

~.~

_**A/N: -sobbing- **_

_**Tsugaru: YOU ARE KILLING TSUKISHIMA!**_

_**Roppi: YOU MONSTER! DON'T KILL MY TSUKI! **_

_**Prustrian Informant: -sobs harder- I warned… **_

_**Tsugaru: -hugs author- Just continue to review. **_


	61. Chapter 61

"Tsuki has to get better." Roppi declared, glaring at the two adults as they stood outside the ICU. Izaya had taken to staring out the window silently. "Shizu-chan can fix everything, go in and fix Tsuki."

Shizuo knelt down and forced a look of complete faith up for the boy, "Tsukishima will be just fine. He's just going to need some res-"

"Tsukishima was made from a monster."

The duo stared over at Izaya, the man not even turning his gaze away from the glass pane.

"Tsukishima was supposed to be the same, except with a higher intelligence. He was a monster just as his father was. There was not supposed to be a child, but since there was, he was supposed to be immortal as his monstrous father."

Shizuo reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, handing it to Roppi, "Hachi-san, can you call Tom and tell him that I won't be making it the meetup point. Just tell him it's a family emergency."

"Okay."

"You remember how to call Tom, ri-"

"The number two and then the green button."

"Good," He motioned the boy away a moment before going to the informant. "Izaya…"

"I'm contradicting myself…"

"You've always been a contradicting asshole."

The man's gaze remained in place as he scoffed, "If you're going to kill me, there is no better time than right now, Shizu-chan. I'm not going to be your loving wife and I'm not going to remain faithful to your every whim."

"What was so wrong with our family?"

The man tensed up. "…Everything."

"No, I mean what did you find so wrong. We had everything, Izaya. We had kids. Two of them that got along better than you and I could have ever dreamed of. We had a great home and we didn't have to worry about making each paycheck last until the next. We had enough of a respect for one another that we cou-

"Could what," the carmine gaze flickered over to him to glare, "could make do with the fact that our being together made no sense. That the fact that we were living outside our natural roles was not going to matter? I run, you chase. We were the predator and the prey, Shizuo. The beauty and the beast. Do you know what happens in the end of that fairy tale? The beauty is killed in a fire. There is no way for us to throw the past aside. We can't become a sweet, loving couple. And don't say you want it," he took a step forward, "I can see it in your eyes. If there was no child in the way, you would be strangling me where I stand. You would not hesitate to send me to hell."

"I want to," Shizuo admitted. "I want to kill you for what happened to Tsukishima. You should have never left."

"But I did, and Tsuki is in there."

"I want to make you feel every bit of pain the three of us have felt because of you, but that wouldn't help would it?"

"Probably not, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo stood for a moment, considering everything. "…You're going to leave."

"As soon as Tsuki can be moved."

"And then what? Do you think you can keep him and Roppi apart?"

"I know I can't. That was always a fact."

"…you aren't taking Roppi from me."

"And you aren't getting Tsukishima."

The two adults went quiet before a voice clearing caught their attention. Both looked down to see Roppi standing next to them. "Why can't we just stay together?"

"Because that would go against the natural order, my dear Roppi-chan," Izaya cooed.

"Fuck natural order."

"Oh my, what a terrible parent you have been Shizu-chan." Izaya knelt down and held his arms open for the boy. "Come here Roppi."

"Hate you." Roppi moved over to Shizuo, tugging on his arm until the blond picked him up, "love Shizu-chan."

"Do you now? It didn't always used to be that way, you used to love me and hate him."

"That was then and this is fuck off."

"The F bomb twice now, Shizu-chan. You just couldn't resist teaching him cursing, could you?"

"At least I took care of the kid I had, Flea."

"I can see that," Izaya continued to hold his arms at the ready for the boy, but Roppi remained holding Shizuo.

"Shizu-chan is a good father."

"Mhmm," Izaya crossed his arms, returning to gazing out the window.

"Izaya…" Shizuo rubbed Roppi's back, voice carrying a note of authority. "When Tsuki gets better, we're all moving back in together."

"Go to hell."

"Tsuki and I can share a room again," Roppi said excitedly.

Shizuo nodded, "You can both stay in our room if you would like-"

"And we can have Erika over every Friday night just to take couple photos and tell us how we need to be more cuddly." The informant laughed. "Do you dream of double rainbows, Roppi-chan?"

"Heiwajima?" A nurse came out and the trio turned their attention to him. Izaya stepping forward.

"Ah, moshi moshi, how is Tsuki?"

The man looked at them all a moment before speaking, "Tsukishima is in critical condition. It would appear he had a previous arm breakage that was incorrectly handled. We had no choice but to repeat the breakage and set it properly. He went into cardiac arrest for a few moments, so we are going to be keeping him under close observation."

"I want to see him," Izaya stated.

"That would be entirely inappropriate. He's far too weak to be-"

"I will wear whatever cap and gown you dolts wear, but I will be seeing him."

The nurse looked up at him seriously. "Give him a few hours. If he pulls through, you won't have to worry about changing, you will be able to see him in a more comfortable room. He will be awake to see you then too. Right now he's in pain, Mr. Heiwajima. He is under a high dose of medication to keep his heartbeat steady."

"Tsuki…" Roppi balled his fists, holding onto Shizuo.

Shizuo spoke up, "is he going to be alright?"

"Give him a few hours continuing to get better, and yes. He should be alright. I do have a couple of questions for the two of you though." The man pulled out a pen, "who is his family physician."

"Dr. Yoru," Izaya lied.

"Yoru…" The man frowned, "Is he a private physician?"

"Tsukishima and I were staying in a private area of Nara for the past few years."

"I see," the man sighed, "understand, Mr. Heiwajima, that doing so this doctor seems to be unaware of some forms of medicine that have been found and advanced in more recent studies. His bloodwork has shown a few inconsistencies that would be explained by your explanation. Private does not mean better, and I would highly recommend that you move your doctor to one more well versed in the medicinal studies."

Izaya nodded, "I was planning so before you came out."

"Yes, and…" He looked to Roppi, "has he been staying under the same doctor?"

"Actually, he's been with me," Shizuo held onto Roppi a bit protectively.

"So the two children have different doctors…"

"Separated parents," Izaya said coolly.

"So the two of you…"

"No," Izaya claimed as Shizuo said yes.

The nurse shook his head, "I honestly have no interest in your family dilemmas. Just ensure that you abandon this Dr. Yoru and find a better doctor, preferably whoever this child is seeing. He looks healthy enough." The man turned away and left without another word.

Shizuo glared at Izaya, "When Tsuki gets better, we're going to try again. And we will keep trying until we get it right."

"We can't even tell what we feel. We hate each other until we're fucking one another into the nearest object. What is love Shizu-chan? I don't believe love involved trying to slit the other's throat during the night or strangling the other until they stop breathing."

"No, probably not."

"We don't have a right, Shizu-chan. If it involves you and I, it will always be wrong."

"Love Tsuki," Roppi murmured.

Both adults went silent a moment before Shizuo spoke again. "This time we will be more vocal, louse. If we don't like something, we'll say it openly."

"I don't like your face."

Roppi shook his head, "love Shizu-face."

"I don't like Shizu-chan's strength either. What is going to change by me saying forthright what I dislike about you, Shizu-chan?"

"Love Shizu-strength," Roppi shot back at the informant.

Shizuo could only sigh, "I'm taking care of two chi-" He paused a moment. "You're doing this on purpose. You're making problems."

"None that wouldn't have shown up sooner or later on its own, Shizu-chan." The informant moved ahead and waved, "It's been fun, but I gotta bounce. Since the hospital has Tsuki under for a few hours, I have clients to meet and work to do."

Roppi waited until the man turned the corner before holding up two shining rings. "It's okay, Shizu-chan. I got his rings. He will come back."

"It's not good to steal, Roppi… but good job." Shizuo kissed the boy's cheek and bounced him in his arms a bit, "are you hungry? I think we need some food before we wait for Tsuki to get well enough for us to see him."

Roppi nodded as they heard a loud curse come from the hallway, "WHERE THE HELL DID MY RINGS GO!"

The boy grinned into Shizuo's neck, "I think we should chain Iza-san to a desk."

"Chain him? I think we should chain and lock him in a room."

~.~

**A/N: Oh... oh man... I got plans for this fic... I got great amazing plot bunnies out of nowhere and they're just-**

**Plotbunnies: -blaring music and playing with music equipment- **

**Prustrian Informant: -jamming and dancing- **

**Izaya: ...-reading- At least I haven't become a mushy, Shizu-loving idiot... like someone...**

**Roppi: -glares at all- ...**

**Shizuo: I like this chain idea, although I just want to kill him.**

**Prustrian informant: -dancing more- REVIEW!**


	62. Chapter 62

Moving through the night, over rooftops, across streets; his steps were quick, nimble. He moved with a purpose. Soon enough, he caught a glimpse of his shadow. The soft neigh making him slow, turning as the fur trim swished around his hips.

[You have been gone from the hospital all day]

The light of the cellular device lit up the darkness that surrounded them.

"Have I? I could hardly notice. It's felt like seconds."

[Shizuo was won

The informant stopped her typing with a hand. "If you are about to tell me that mommy dearest would like the unruly teenager to stop rebelling and return home, you are wasting time you could be doing your job with. "

[Are you that selfish?]

"Oh, what biting words, my dear courier."

[He's suffered as much as

"What is a dream, my dear black rider? What does it mean to love and to cherish?" The informant broker rocked on his heels, "oh but to dream a dream of princes and samurais, of psychedelic tendencies that transcend our realm of intellect. We long for things that cannot be, things that are beyond our ability to have."

[…would it be that bad to try to have a family?]

"Yes, yes it would." Izaya waved at the people ahead. "A year ago, six or seven actually, I could have walked down this street and people would be cowering, hanging back in doorways to hide from my battles with the great monster of Ikebukuro. Now? They walk by, hardly taking notice that there is a presence among them equal to that of a god."

[That isn't true.]

"Oh," Izaya looked at her, "and what brings this statement about?"

[You have a family. One that

"Shizuo and Roppi are at an understanding to hate me. Tsukishima ran away from me just to run off to be with them. Tell me, just how does that equate to being their pride and joy?"

The motorcyclist paused a moment before typing. [You're an ass, but they love you anyway.]

Seeing that, Izaya laughed, "that sounds more like a fairy tale. Do even the bad guys get a happy ending?" He turned, "I had such hopes, such plans, but now they are useless. Shizuo has won, but in the end, I will still kill him."

[Izaya.]

"Hmm," the brunet looked back at her. "Was there something more to our rendezvous?"

[Maybe if you forgave yourself, they would stand a chance at forgiving you.]

With that, she left, leaving the informant to look up at the moon quietly.

"You make it sound so easy, my valkyrie. I cannot just forgive the fact that I was so delusional as to dream beyond my limits. I cannot simply forgive myself for abandoning years of work, taking a human child under my care. It would be like asking the moon to shine during the day."

To just become what Shizuo and the two kids wanted, he would have to give up what made him him. He would become someone else entirely. Perhaps everyone else was accepting of that fact, but he didn't like it. Shizuo had it in his nature to care, to be someone who could dream of family and love. Warmth and compassion.

Izaya himself though. His dreams were not in such colors. His dreams were stark, a modern black and white spectrum. There was bad and there was innocent. There was beasts and there were humans.

Tsukishima was a human though…

That changed his thoughts. He had always thought of the child as his monster. His creation to which he had to bear as his burden, but that truck had changed his thoughts. It had showed him something he hadn't wanted to see.

"Nakura…"

"Ah, so the mysterious hit and run driver has arrived. Good timing," he looked over at the woman and grinned, "your driving is no better here than it was in Russia, Voro-chan."

The officer narrowed her gaze, "You lost me everything. I lost my job, my home, my-"

"Yes, all because I evaded your rather unjust criminal processing. How terrible." He shivered with a mock look of disgust. "Surely that means you should follow me all the way home and try to destroy the very foundations of my life."

"You did the same to mine, why can I not do-"

"Ah, you my dear have a lot to learn. I have no life. No soul to which to steal. My love is for all mankind. I hold no favoritism for any individual."

"That isn't true. The boy-"

"He was interesting, as are many humans. Don't you think if I cared, I would be sitting upon his bedside, holding his dear little hand in mine and praying to his dear father that if he got better I would be the doting little waifu he always wanted?"

Vorona glared at him, "no… you are too much of a bastard."

"Ah, and on that note we are in complete agreement," silver slivers glinted in the moonlight as Izaya crouched down a bit, getting his footing. "I always enjoy a good rendezvous in the moonlight."

The Russian shook her head, "this will be over quickly, but you will suffer for what you have done to me."

Ah, Izaya thought, but he had already punished himself enough. It was boring. Hopefully the Russian could provide more entertainment.

~.~

_**A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY IZAYA! –well it was a couple hours ago- **_

_**Delic: Fail…**_

_**PI: …No one wants you here Delic. Get back in my bed…**_

_**Delic: -shrugs- Make sure to tell them to review.**_

_**PI: Review! –rolls back over to sleep off sickness- **_

.


	63. Chapter 63

**_A/N: Just so I don't get any "I'm confused" comments, Izaya daydreams here. Just sayin. It's the stuff in the italics that is his daydreaming. Enjoy. _**

**_~.~ _**

_"Izaya, you __have to move your ass. I have to take a piss."_

Vorona darted forward, silver flickering under the city lights. Her blond hair whipped in the wind behind her as she rushed him. He reciprocated by running back, flipping to avoid a bullet aimed for where his head had most likely been.

_"So demanding," the informant rolled over, smirking at his bed partner. He smirked brightly at his groggy lover. The blond's hair was in disarray as he shook a bit in his need for relief. _

They were running now, Izaya zigzagging across the roads, alley; narrowly getting hit by vehicles. His leg aching under the pressure. Ah, but it was still too early to be doing so much exercise. Shinra had said to go easy on his leg for a few months.

Shinra probably hadn't expected him to get into a vicious fight with a rancor of a woman.

Another shot fired.

Ah, but this was becoming too close a fight.

Izaya leaped towards a fire escape, carmine eyes darting to the woman chasing him.

_"I love you Shizu-chan," the flea purred, moving aside so the blond could move. _

_~._

Vorona was done with this. Her record as a cop, her badge, her respect; it was all gone. As soon as this man had come along, as soon as Nakura had come into her life; everything had become destroyed. How was she supposed to work on cases when she was being thrown back on cases that were for rookies? How was she supposed to be able to function in a building full of people who thought she couldn't keep a person behind bars behind bars?

This pain in the ass had gone too far.

She would have let him go, she would have walked away and fought to reclaim her untarnished record had her girlfriend not left, had her lease not been suddenly up. Losing one's home, losing the only person who would still talk to her as an equal; it had destroyed her.

She had begun her pursuit. She had chased him across the frozen lands and began to narrow her search down. There had been no place for him to hide. Nakura would have died. Then she would have dragged his body back to the police station, regained her reputation if not made it stronger. No one would have doubted that she could do her job.

But no…

That other one had come along and ruined everything.

This man had been saved.

Chasing him all the way here to Japan had been beyond appropriate. Her boss had fired her even. He had yelled every name that he could think up at her, demanding she return within thirty days or she would be pursued and arrested.

After all, the last thing anyone wanted was an international situation.

Day twenty eight now.

She would kill him now.

She would drag him back to Russia with her and she would regain almost everything instantly. It would all be fixed and sure, her boss would be irked and keep her on a tighter leash, but she would be complete. There would be no doubt on whether everything that could possibly be done was done.

Taking aim again, Vorona shot at the darting demon. This plague to her life needed to stop dodging her and just die already. Why? Why couldn't he just stop? Was it that hard for him to just accept the fact that he was going to be killed?

~.

The fire escape was slippery, making him have to grip it tighter. He could not fall, not right now. There was too much to lose if he fell. There would be no one going home to Tsukishima. No one would be able to handle his fear of storms, to kiss away the pains that only small children seemed to feel were real.

Sure, let's label his emotions love.

Let's for kicks say that he was head over heels for the ex-bartender, that he wanted to try that family bologna that everyone seemed to want.

_"Roppi and Tsuki fell asleep on the living room couch again," the man replied, coming back into the bedroom. Izaya yawned, feeling his sweatshirt ride up his person before he acknowledged the blond's comment. _

_"They must have fallen asleep watching another movie. I told them they were supposed to go to bed and not watch any horror movies."_

_"Roppi seems to enjoy making Tsuki watch them." _

_"He likes to make him watch them because then they can cuddle together and have an excuse."_

Izaya could feel the woman following him up the ladder. He had to now. He jumped from the ladder a split second before he heard the bullet being shot. His hands becoming scraped before he managed to grab a window on the other side of the alley.

The burning was strong, making his grip lax. Just a little further though. He dug the rubber bottom of his shoes into the brick building, heaving himself onto the windowsill. Digging out his flickblade, he undid the window's old-fashioned lock, and dived into the place.

It was an unfair battle.

You never bring a knife to a gunfight and win. At least not when the person with the gun is a marksman.

He had to find a weapon. He had to find something he could use that would even the fight out.

A buzzing came from his pocket, the screen lighting up. He quickly pulled it out, stomping it into oblivion underneath his foot and picking the sim card up. No need for people to get a hold of his clientele. He saw a pair of hands grasp the window before he bolted for another room.

_"Yeah, well Roppi and Tsuki have a close relationship." Shizuo moved towards the bed, crawling onto not only the mattress but the informant himself. Those mocha eyes devoured his person as Izaya was forced to lay back, his spine against the mattress. He smirked up at him. _

_"Well well… What do I have here," the informant asked._

_The blond leaned in close, mouth next to Izaya's ear, sending chills down his spine. "You have… one very tired and lonely bodyguard."_

_"Ah, but that's just how I like my bodyguards," Izaya purred, arms wrapping around the man. _

A bullet went through the room, embedding itself into the wall a moment before he was completely out of the room. A gun, Izaya needed to find a gun. He had to.

Or he could hide and pounce.

But not here, this place was empty. It would be his great luck to find an empty apartment.

"Nakura…" The voice called out to him, dripping in bloody and lethal promises. Izaya pulled his shoes off and held them, sidestepping along the wall silently as he headed for the next open door.

Inching closer to that door, he slipped around it and released a small bit of air, taking more in before continuing. One door space, another. He was wandering in the darkness; doing the seductive tango of death with the devil herself.

The sound around him was filled with silence, it echoed around him as he moved. He kept legs apart, hands in pockets to keep his jacket quiet. No need for jingling zippers or swishing of pants. His shoes under one arm, he moved to another doorway.

And then he was moving away from the door, Vorona's neat blond hair a dead giveaway as he had started to answer. He didn't think she saw him, but still. He sensed the light of that room being turned on.

She was going to flood the rooms in florescent. She was going to illuminate the place.

He hurried as fast as he could towards room one. The window was still there, he would just have to jump back across. He needed a better weapon for this fight, he needed better planning for this. A hiding place and a quick slash would make quick work of her.

"Freeze motherfucker."

His whole person froze, carmine eyes drifting over to see her standing there. Gun pointed at his head. A smile flew to his lips, "well well, it would appear that you have found me, Vorona-chan."

"I should have murdered you on the spot."

"Have you ever done a tango before, my dear?" His thoughts left him, flying back to create another false reality, another dream of domestic life with the blond.

_"Tango? Why the hell would I ever do a fucking tango?" Shizuo sat with his arms crossed, clad in a white and pink suit. _

_"Ah, but Shizu-chan," he replied, "the tango is the most fun dance you can perform." He pulled the stubborn man to his feet and took Shizuo's hand into his, one arm going around his waist. _

The gun was going to fire just as Izaya dropped to the floor, eyes glazed over in this new false reality he was imagining. His instincts took over for his body, dodging the literal bullet before a leg swept across the floor, forcing the Russian to her knees.

His body shot for the window, dropping his shoes down before he jumped from the ledge and caught the ladder on the other side. He slid down, slipping back into his shoes in little to no time. Blade flashing out of his pocket as he leaped into the nearby darkness, his coat dropped to the ground.

_"Fucking flea," the blond scowled as he was led in the dance, Izaya taking the time drift his gaze over him, eyes filling with his lust. _

_"Oh come now, my dear Shizu-chan." He spun the man around, making him frown more. "I think this is quite a fun dance, I get to touch you all I wa-" _

_He froze in his words as hands drifted onto his lower back and ass, the blond suddenly smirking back at him, "two can play at this game, Izaya-kun."_

_"Ever the tease," he pouted, watching Shizuo try to take over. He spun around the man to feel his arm held onto, he reciprocated with a leg lifted to wrap around the man's middle. _

_The blond turned, losing that leg around him as Izaya had to take a step back or surrender his ability to stand on his own. _

He watched the blond drop down, cursing in that Slavic language of hers before searching around for him. Izaya moved forth, behind the dumpsters, eyes glued to the woman.

_"And here I thought that monsters can't dance." Izaya breathed, feeling the blond keeping toe to toe with him._

_"Perhaps you should have thought this through before you asked me," Shizuo replied, his hands running down Izaya's back._

_"Oh, no. I did. I have no regrets, you may be able to do a bit of a dance, but that leaves me to wonder," he ducked under the man's arms and spun around him, "just how well can you keep up with me?"_

_"I can take anything you throw at me louse," the blond growled. _

_"Good, then you don't mind if I test that theory."_

_~._

Vorona searched around the alley.

That damn bastard! How dare he run? Was it all he was good at? Running away? She was going to slit his throat after she finished pumping rounds into his being. She started with the mouth of the alley, gun at the ready. He had to be here, he would not have run that far. Which meant that the criminal was trying to do the surprise attack on her.

Well, he had another thing coming.

She pulled the hammer back as she caught site of fur trim on the side of a dumpster. Moron, his jacket was the give away. She pointed slowly, sidestepping towards a dumpster across the alley. Just as she fired, something dropped against her side. The gun went flying across the area, falling into the street outside the alley.

She felt her cheek burning in agony as she touched it. Pulling her hand away, she found it covered in blood.

He cut her!

She took up a defensive stance as she looked over to see him standing there. His eyes were… glazed over? He didn't look sane. Then again, that is what criminals did.

~.

Izaya looked back at her, their gazes locking. His grip on the now blood dripping knife tightening.

One of them was going to die, that was the one undeniable fact in this. Then again, he had not long to live. This job, this life he lived; it was going to kill him. He had known that deep inside.

But he was a god.

He was the god of this land.

No one would be able to fully kill him.

No one could stand over his humans and judge him, lead them, stop them before they destroyed themselves.

With his power, one could become drunk, slovenly; they could try to be purely good or purely evil. He was not like that though. He sat on his unbiased throne and watched over them all.

This woman would never understand that.

The resolve broke through his dreams, making him go for the attack. Even as he dodged the punch she threw, he could no respond fast enough to avoid the leg she threw his way. She kicked him to the side of the alley. His ribs flaring up in agony as he coughed; he dropped to his knees and rolled forward.

A punch to the air beside the informant's face, a slash in the place Vorona's stomach had been; they were on each other. Fury blazed under the blond's lashes, impassiveness reflected in the brunet's crimson gaze.

Izaya began to have to wheeze, his stomach was no doubt aching from what strikes she was managing to pull on him.

~.

Vorona could not even breathe, it hurt so badly. She needed her gun! The thing was too far though! She sent another kick to his stomach and sprinted for it, running as fast as she could to reach it. He dived, grabbing it just as something hit her shoulder. Pain lacerated through her as she took aim and shot at Nakura.

She watched him dropped to his knees, eyes widening. Something shining from where his heart no doubt beat.

She had shot him.

Seeing him on his knees, seeing that face smoothing out as death came upon him; she began to laugh, laughing hard until she heard the honking. She felt something smack into her.

And death came instantly.

~.~

_**A/N: We had a collaboration for this since I could not write Vorona myself very well. Everyone. Give a nice applaud for Riri playing Vorona… **_

_**Prustrian Informant: IZAYAAAAAAAAA! NOOO! MY BABY! –sobs-**_

_**Riri: FUCK YES! FINALLY THAT DAMN INFORMANT IS DEAD!**_

_**Prustrian Informant: YOU SHOT IZAYA! YOU BITCH!**_

_**Riri: You have to admit, Vorona was awesome in this chapter.**_

_**Prustrian informant: FUCK NO! YOU SHOT IZAYA! YOU SHOT HIM! **_

_**Riri …Well, at least Shizuo, Roppi, and Tsukishima can have a happy ending?**_

_**Prustrian Informant: Don't… don't talk… -covers Ri's mouth- Riri, you have shot Izaya. That is unforgivable. **_

_**Riri: -plays song "Return to Innocence" by Enigma- It's okay, Tsu.**_

_**Prustrian Informant: -sobbing- **_**Review**_.__** Hate Vorona… Now I remember why I was writing this alone.**_


	64. Chapter 64

"Hurry along!"

"We've restarted his heart, we need to get him to surgery!"

"The woman is breathing again!"

"MOVE PEOPLE!"

Shizuo pulled Roppi aside, having just come from the cafeteria of the hospital with Roppi, attention drawn to the figures sprinting passed. The doctors and nurses were practically screaming at one another.

"That would be a bad job," Roppi murmured.

"Being a doctor is a good job, but they must get very tired of having to do that all day."

The child shook his head, "They must be really bored of they asked vatti to play the role of sick patient."

…

Shizuo looked down at Roppi in complete confusion. "What do you mean? Izaya went to some appointments he had planned that he couldn't get out of. He's probably in another building halfway across town right now."

"No," Roppi pointed down the hall, "That was his jacket that I saw and there was some blond lady in the other stretcher. I would have gotten a better look, but you kept moving me so I was out of the way." He held onto Shizuo, wrapping his arms tighter around the man's shoulders.

"Roppi, you have to be mistaken." Izaya was practically invulnerable. He went out night after night, unable to be taken down by anythi-

_"Shizzy…chan…"_

Shizuo set Roppi into a chair next to Tsuki's room and headed for the direction the people had run off to. He brushed passed hospital workers, ignoring the looks and the small questions. He looked around another hallway and frowned.

"Sir," a woman headed for him and paused, "are you lost?"

"I was actually looking for someone."

"Room number?"

"He hopefully doesn't have a room. Orihara Izaya is the name."

"Oh…" The woman paused a moment, green eyes flashing in recognition. "I hadn't realized my coworker had already made the phone calls."

"I wasn't told anything, what happened?"

The nurse looked around a moment before urging him to sit. "First of all, please know we are doing everything in our power to help the two. The police have been waiting to make the arrest since the two bodies were found, but it doesn't look like they can do that."

"I don't-"

"It seems from witness reviews that your umm- your friend, Mr. Orihara was confronted by this woman. Our Jane Doe apparently chased your friend through the city. They got into a scuffle before the woman darted onto a street and shot your friend. She was lucky her body was not hit full speed by the vehicle that hit her. We've managed to get her heart beating again, but we had to pump her full of painkillers from her leg being run over. She may not survive."

"What about Izaya?"

The woman went silent, tinkering with her hair a bit.

"I said what about Izaya? Is he alright?"

Shizuo couldn't stop the images from coming to mind. What if he was just as bad as the woman? Izaya couldn't walk or run without his leg, at least not that easily. He couldn't be dead…

_And shot your friend..._

Where had Izaya been shot?

The air left his lungs as he processed what he had been told. An overwhelming urge to break down every doorway separating himself and Izaya washed over him.

"We got him on life support." The woman said quietly, "but his heart… it keeps stopping. We think the bullet of the gun shattered, but we can't go finding all the pieces in his shoulder and around his heart because he's in such a weak condition."

Life support… weak condition…

He felt so sick, Shizuo had to clutch his stomach. Even seeing Roppi come skipping down the hallway, the coat, those eyes, everything made him feel worse. He felt like the world was tilting on its axis.

The woman looked over and sniffled, "oh… Oh no…"

"How's vatti?" Roppi looked at the both with mild interest. "Is Shizu-chan okay? You look kinda bad…"

Choking on a sob, the woman stood up. "I'm so sorry…" She rushed away, soon after Roppi rolled his eyes.

"That woman was strange…"

Shizuo yanked Roppi into his arms and held onto him tight, not even able to explain. Rocking the young boy a bit, he shut his eyes and tried to think of how they would survive.

He was now the father of two kids…

And he was going to have to raise them alone…

~.~

_**A/N: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Give yo props to Izaya! Such a good mommy! And thanks for the well wishes! ;w; So nice to know people are reading these author notes. I'm still stuck eating little to nothing a lot, but I went to a sleep lab and got a nice "internal clock reboot" so I've been dropping like a light every night since. And I sleep so DEEPLY and wake up going "LET'S DO THIS THING!" Tomorrow is the doctor's appointment to solve the food problem so yay! FOOOOODDDDDDDD!**_

_**Hibiya: -interupts- Next chapter. Your recuperating health can be best spent writing better updates. **_


	65. Chapter 65

"Sir?"

Shizuo continued to pet Roppi's hair, holding onto him tight. No more losing family. He didn't want to ever let go of Roppi. The urge to chain himself to the brunet didn't sound quite too extreme.

A hand landed on his shoulder and he growled. Mocha eyes looked up at the man warningly. Touch and die.

"Sir… You are here for Tsukishima Heiwajima, yes?"

Shizuo kept the brunet against his chest, nodding. Roppi eyed the man before making a huff of disgust and hugging Shizuo tighter.

"He's become stable. We moved him to a different room. If you would like to rest there and wait for him to wake up…"

"Yeah, lead the way."

The man nodded and turned, beginning to walk when he realized the blond had not gotten up yet. "…Sir?"

"Give me a fucking minute," Shizuo growled, getting up and pushing Roppi onto his shoulders. "Too much shit is going on. Feels like a damn opera."

"Tsuki," Roppi pushed on Shizuo's shoulders. "We need to go to him."

"I know." Shizuo sighed more.

The rn waited a moment before the duo was finally following him, leading them to the room. Heart monitor and several other types of machines sat around the bed where Tsukishima lay quietly resting. The nurse nodded, "We just as you let him rest. If he wakes up on his own, you may talk, but he's in pain right now so let him sleep through it."

"We will."

The nurse nodded at the hollow voice, hesitating a moment before he spoke again. "Please, sir. Whatever is troubling you, we have therapists on the third floor. They would be more than willin-"

"That won't be necessary."

"But si-"

"HE SAID IT WON'T BE NECESSARY," Roppi all but yelled at the man. "WE KNOW IZAYA IS DEAD AND TSUKI IS INJURED! GO AWAY!"

"Vatti… he's dead?"

The soft voice made everyone freeze, the nurse running out of the room before Shizuo went to punch him in the face.

Tsuki looked over at them all. The oxygen mask hiding his expression.

"Tsuki…" Shizuo hurried over to his bedside, hesitating before he brushed the boy's bangs out of his face.

"You are not allowed to leave us anymore, Tsuki." Roppi moved down from Shizuo to sit on the bed. "Shizu-chan and I have declared it. And as punishment for leaving us alone, after you get better you have to wash my dishes after meals."

Shizuo looked over at him, "you still have to wash your own dishes, Roppi."

"I don't like cleaning them. They get all sicky and then my hands feel dry when I'm done."

Tsuki didn't even laugh a bit, watching them quietly before he spoke again. "Where's… vatti…?"

The duo looked back at Tsukishima with different expressions. Roppi's face was one of a small smile while the ex-bartender looked somber.

"Don't worry about that old asswipe, he's de-"

"ROPPI!" Shizuo covered the boy's mouth and looked at Tsuki. "Izaya is sleeping in another room because he got a bit scraped up saving you."

"Oh…" The blond boy lay quietly. "Is he going to b-be okay?"

"He's going to be fine," Roppi threw in quickly before Shizuo could even try to explain how bad Izaya's condition was. "I heard the lady Shizu-chan was talking to in the hallway say something about a life supporter. I'm sure the supporter man will make sure vatti is okay."

The hope that Tsuki showed Roppi was too much for Shizuo. They were kids for fuck's sake. They thought the world revolved around them and that nothing bad would ever happen to them. He could hardly stand it when the duo curled up together.

It was like watching a dream that you wished would come true. It was like seeing something you desperately craved with your entire being sitting just before you, unable to be captured. That elusive dream was watching his almost perfect child clone being cuddled by the informant duplicate child. He watched as Roppi curled up against the boy's side and spoke to him gently, watching Tsuki being gently reprimanded for trying to move too much. Roppi kissed the boy's cheek and laughed as Tsuki began to blush.

They were so simple. Nothing seemed to faze them. Nothing pestered at either's mind.

Was it so hard for Izaya to dream of something like that?

Shizuo sat down by the door and buried his face into his hands.

Why?

Sometimes he had to wonder just why the world felt to test him in these ways.

~.~

_**A/N: New relationship, better health now that I know I'm allergic to soybeans, guzzling milk like a boss. Yep. I've definitely changed this week. **_

_** Hibiya: And again, pathetic update.**_

_** PI: Well some of us have things to do! Maybe if reviews were coming in for my fics I would be more tempted! Hmm? Maybe? **_

_** Hibiya: …no. Update again. **_


	66. Chapter 66

"We can tie up vatti to a table and make sure that he never leaves again."

Tsukishima shook his head, "But vatti has an important job that he has to be able to leave the house to do."

"It doesn't matter," Roppi grinned, "dad let me go to his job whenever he has to work."

"Vatti wouldn't like being tied to a table."

"Who cares what he thinks, he tried to leave-"

"Only because he knew you and dad would get bored of him." Tsukishima looked at him pleadingly to understand, "You all get bored of him. You say all these nice things and claim you will always love, but when it comes right down to it, you all leave. Dad used to try to hurt vatti. Did you know that? He would go out of his way to try to kill him."

"Dad is a nicer, better and more cool person than that… that flea!" Roppi glared at Tsuki. "Dad is the awesomest person of all time."

"Dad was very mean to vatti…"

"Dad couldn't be mean except to bad people so vatti must be a bad person."

"Vatti is a nice person-"

"Boys," Shizuo rubbed his temple. "Can we stick to one language only and just call Izaya louse or mom or something. The vatti this vatti that is giving me a headache."

"Sorry…" Tsuki looked at the ceiling, as if suddenly fascinated by something up there.

"I'm not sorry, the tool needs to be insulted."

"HACHIMENROPPI!" his voice boomed through the room, making both kids wince at the volume. Shizuo was on his feet within seconds, picking the boy up by the scruff of his neck, his temper flared, "What did you just call your mother?"

"…a… tool…"

Tsuki frowned, "what does that mean?"

Shizuo threw the blond boy a look before turning to his brother, Roppi flailing a bit to escape. "Hachimenroppi, you will not insult Izaya, do you understand?"

"But he's mean and-"

"He's still your mother and you will show him at least that much respect."

Temper flared in those carmine eyes, staring up at Shizuo with a quick look of shock before ire took its place. "He left us. He took Tsuki away and left. He was the one that didn't tell us anything. Nothing we did mattered to him. Nothing we had said mattered. He just walked out of the place with Tsuki while we were running a simple errand. Don't tell me not to insult someone who deserves it."

"You both would have left us," Tsukishima said softly, gripping the covers of the bed. "You both would have gotten annoyed by us somehow and left. It always happens. Vatti is the most hated man in Ikebukuro. He was lonely before he had me in his life. Not even his sisters would be nice to him." Slowly, the blond boy began to cry, the tears pouring down quietly as his voice shook. "H-he would b-be all al-lone in his home day and night-t and wh-when he would leave, dad would come and-d make things diff-ficult on him. Vatti would have to r-run down st-treets and through all-all-alleys…"

"Tsuki…" Roppi squirmed to try to break free of the blond's grasp. "Tsukishima, please don't cry…"

"He would st-tand at this big window, and he said when he h-had me in his belly that he used to… used to… stand there with this knife… and he would t-think of doing something to kill himself."

Shizuo's blood began to run cold. His gaze went stoic as Tsuki cried. The hand holding Roppi was released, letting the brunet immediately climb back onto the bed and go to comfort Tsuki. "What else did he say," the ex-bartender asked, voice almost a whisper.

"He said he wanted to die… but he had accomplished too much."

Accomplished too much…

Not that Izaya had wanted to see him suffer.

Not that Izaya had wanted to live for anyone.

He had accomplished too much.

The words made him frowned, sitting back down as the nurse came to visit the room and shoo Roppi off the blond. Roppi threatened to kill the man in a dozen ways as he was shoved off the bed.

What was he supposed to do…?

His feet could have melded to the ground, arms digging into his legs as he leaned forward. His head throbbed from a lack of sleep and a headache from all the pressure that was happening to him. For so long he sat there, staring off into space as the boys talked to one another. All those thoughts roaming through his head, all the worry about Izaya, all the worry about the recovery time for Tsukishima; it all was falling upon his shoulders. The worry wrapped its claws around him, digging into his skin as its grip choked him.

He needed air.

There was an uncontrollable need to find the nearest empty space and scream until his lungs were emptied out, until he was physically shaking. He had to get these feelings out, to release the tension building up inside of him. There was only one person who could help him…

And he was unconscious in another room, possibly taking his last breath.

"Shizuo seems distracted." The voice of the actor's echoed through the hurricane of thoughts plaguing the man. Shizuo shook his head and looked up to see Kasuka standing there with three bottles of milk in his arms.

"…Kasuka."

The actor handed him a bottle before turning to the duo in bed together. He sat down beside them and opened their bottles, "It's nice to see you Tsukishima. Who is this?"

"This is my best friend and brother Hachimenroppi," Tsuki replied. "Uncle Shinra made him from stuff from vatti and dad, but I got to name him."

"…Hello," Roppi replied, arms wrapping around Tsuki protectively as he eyes the actor.

"Hello Hachimenroppi. I'm your uncle Kasuka,"

"…I don't like you." Roppi tightened his grip on Tsuki and the blond boy laughed, "He says that to everyone."

"I don't!" Roppi defended, huffing a bit.

"As long as you still like me…"

"I will always love my Tsukishima," the boy vowed, cuddling as much as he could against him. "I don't want to ever be separated from you again."

"That's so cute," a woman stood in the doorway and covered her nose, "Kasuka, you need to find a man that would treat you like that!"

"…Must I remind you that I am dating Ruri, Avid?" Kasuka looked over at her and shook his head.

"The sushi man will wait for you, Kasu-san. As will the bellhop at the hotel, the guy at the fastfood place and-"

"She new?" Shizuo frowned as the woman went prattling on.

"No. She has today off though and found me."

"I see…"

"-and the busboy at this Chinese place I went to last week, and pretty much any plumber I would be able to find in a phone book."

"Enough, Avid. No one is paying any attention." Kasuka began to rub his temple and the woman paled, moving forward in a rush to feel his forehead.

"You have said too much. Didn't I say to leave the talking to me? Oh, but you just rest here. I will go get you something to eat and drink from the cafeteria." The quick staccato clicking of her heals echoed as she went sprinting from the room.

"…I like her." Tsuki declared.

"I like her too," Roppi murmured, face buried against Tsuki.

"You like her, but you don't like Kasuka?"

Roppi looked over and shrugged, "she won't take Tsuki away. She likes him." The boy pointed at Kasuka.

"She likes to pair me with other people." Kasuka shook his head, "she doesn't like me in that way."

"She likes him," Roppi reiterated.

"I don't really want to hear this right now, Roppi."

Kasuka turned to Shizuo, "Is Izaya still missing?"

He didn't know…

The mention of the informant sent another emotion gauntlet of emotions through him. How many times would he have to tell people outside that the informant was dying? That he was dead? Would there ever be a reprieve from the pain? Just thinking about the man sent pain lacerating through his soul. Kasuka should have punched him.

Physical pain he knew all about.

After years of breaking bones, making his muscles stretch and ache, he knew everything there was to know about getting hurt. He could break a thousand bones, he could sprain a thousand joints, he could fall from a thousand buildings, get hit by a million cars…

And the pain he felt, he knew he could handle.

But being told the only person in the entire world that would love him, that would keep coming back to him no matter how much he threw at him, was suffering from his heart refusing to remain beating in his chest…

It was a different kind of pain; one that could not be coated in a layer of physical pain or talked down by any kind of red herring.

"Vatti is hurt really bad." Tsuki said softly as the silence made the actor take on en expression of confusion and surprise. Usually Shizuo spoke a lot more.

"Where is he?"

"He's with a life supporter man," Roppi said. "Hopefully the life support will make him realize he was being stupid and shouldn't have left."

"I hope he's nice to vatti," Tsuki looked about ready to cry.

"He's on life support?" Kasuka stood up and looked at Shizuo.

"He got shot," Shizuo said, feeling like he had just suffered the same fate himself. He buried his face into his hands and sighed, trying to take in enough air to keep himself going. He needed nothing more than to be free of this pain. He wanted to remove the aches that went through him from this.

A hand appeared before his face, making him follow it all the way up to the actor. Kasuka stood before him, arm outstretched to help him up. "I will watch the boys. Go to Izaya."

They stared at one another silently, speaking through their eyes. So much said without the uttering of a single syllable, and then Shizuo was taking that hand, he was standing on his own two feet again and moving for the door.

He paused as he shut Tsukishima's door closed and heard the woman with Kasuka coming back, watching her approach.

_"Oh Angel man, oh Angel man. __Your blade fits like a glove~_

_You're forged in steel and cannot feel _

_That blood red pound of blood."_

She stopped singing as she caught sight of him, "Sorry, bad habit."

He turned away and headed for the information desk. He had to see Izaya. He couldn't wait any longer.

Avid stood there silently a moment before shaking her head, "I would ship him and Kasuka… He can have dibs before the Russian sushi guy." She turned up her music and continued, "_When life begins with, needles and pins, it ends with swords and knives~ God save those born to die~"_

_~,~_

_A/N: I hate ocs… I really do…_

_Tsugaru: And yet you added Avid._

_PI: Avid is insane! KASUKAXSIMON? WTF?_

_Avid: Ship it. Love it. Obsess over it._

_PI: OFFICIAL PEEPS ONLY! –kicks- _

_Delic: And we are onto the next chapter, love?_

_PI: Yes, yes. Next chapter. _


	67. Chapter 67

The machines were beeping solemnly as Shizuo rampaged his way passed the doctors, surgeons, and anyone else who was brainless enough to stand in his way. He growled and yelled until he was passed them all and was inside the ICU where Izaya lay silently under the blankets.

Seeing him, watching him lay there as though the world had stopped existing…

It was a macabre song, keeping its tempo with the sound of the heart rate monitor. There was nothing graceful in his slumber there. Nothing beautiful about him sitting on the edge of life and death.

The world tilted on its axis as Shizuo gazed upon the slumbering figure there.

And from that position, he forced himself to sit on the spare seat in the room and think quietly to himself.

Why.

He didn't think about how stupid Izaya was for leaving, didn't pay a second's time to consider how reckless and heartless the informant was for taking Tsuki and leaving him with Roppi when he knew they had started to bond.

No, Shizuo sat there and stared at that lifeless body on the bed, breathing only due to tubes literally shoved down his throat and wondered why.

Why was he in love with Orihara Izaya?

Out of all the people in the world, there had to be someone out there that would be much less troublesome. There had to be someone who was much more concerned with his needs. Someone who would care for him as he cared for them and who would want to raise a family with him; he knew there had to be someone.

And yet, even as he knew that, he knew there would be no chance of him ever finding that person.

Even if they happened upon one another on the street.

Even if he yelled at them or ran up and kissed them without any sort of greeting.

Why Izaya?

He didn't want the romanced love.

No need for long courtships with awkward dates and blushing. The stuttering he could do without. He liked the rawness that had come from his and Izaya's relationships. He felt hypocritical as he thought this. Hating violence, but enjoying making the informant squirm under his touch; truly he couldn't think of anything he would rather have than the flea at his mercy.

But that was not love, none that he had ever heard of anyway.

Love was supposed to be an occasional fight. It was supposed to be a give and take, a tug of war filled with happiness in taking in the other's presence. He was not supposed to feel like killing the other person when they pissed him off. He was supposed to want to kill anyone that wanted to kill his love, even if they were his own family.

Why…

Why did Izaya make everything so difficult?

He wanted to just have that loving relationship, but…

But at the same time he liked not having that. He loved being able to not hide any emotion just to keep the other happy. Being able to throw his emotions out there in a fit of outrage, telling the informant just what was roaming through his head was much better than anything else he could possibly want. Why have a relationship full of masks when he could have whatever the hell it was that he possessed with Izaya? There was a give and take, one that kept him screaming after the informant through the streets. There was love, although it was more in the physical than in so many words.

It didn't mean he didn't care.

It didn't mean that seeing the informant in a state such as this didn't hurt him like nothing else. This was painful, agonizing. It insulted him to the very fibre of his being. Seeing him just laying there, imagining who knows what, never knowing for sure whether the informant would ever open his eyes again; why.

Just why.

There was no need to add anything else to that question. No need to narrow down the vagueness of that word.

Why.

Why was Izaya laying here in such a state?

Why would his eyes never open again?

Why was he alone in raising two children now?

Why why why?

He slouched in his seat, brown eyes glued to the figure as that word began the barrage of questions running through his mind. His hands on his face as he leaned to rest, mind in a fit of questioning.

Why would he be all alone?

Why did Izaya not tell him everything?

Why was their love so impossible?

Why did he want to force the man up and make him spill everything?

Why would Izaya not do it himself.

These whys were so frustrating! It was so infuriating to him since he knew that he could never find all the answers to these questions. There was no way to get anyone to spill their secrets, no matter how close you were to someone else. No matter how much time you spent with someone, even if he never left Izaya's side…

There would always be new things happening inside that flea's head. Things that Izaya would never tell him.

Shizuo could only sit there. Sit there and watch that mind spin its last course. He could only sit in that very seat and spurn the world for making it this way.

"Miss you have to stay in your bed."

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Shizuo's temper flared as he heard that voice outside the room. He turned on his heels and headed for the door. He threw it open and threw the most seething glare at the Russian woman that could have ever been created. It wasn't so much that he was mad at what had happened, he was mad about everything. He was furious. How dare this woman come into his life and ruin everything. How dare she think that she could touch his louse and live.

He threw the punch without a single thought to her gender. Did he care she was a woman? No. She touched the louse, shot him actually. He was dying and she was going to walk away. Not on his watch. He threw the punch and watched her fall. He moved forth and his face calmed down considerably.

It didn't matter.

These whys, these questions, these doubts about how he would care for Roppi and Tsuki; none of that mattered right now, he was going to kill this woman.

She looked up at him, coughing up blood upon the floor, getting on shaking limbs to stand up again. He didn't let her get a word out. If he wanted apologies, he would talk to another one of these damn medical professionals. He watched her fall back to the floor and felt the arms wrapping around his arms. He was pulled back and he heard the sound, feeling his own heart stop and blood run cold as his gaze turned to the informant's room.

Izaya's heart had stopped…

"CODE BLUE!"

The arms around him let go as doctors rushed to the patient. "What happened to the life support!"

"The machine crashed!"

"Call biomed and get another machine in here now!"

"SOMEONE GET THE CRASH CART!"

Shizuo stood over the lifeless body of Vorona and watched.

Izaya Orihara was dead.

~.~

**_A/N: -runs and hides-_**

**_Tsugaru: What's happening?_**

**_PI: I killed Izaya. -pulls Tsugaru along- RUN FOR YOUR LIFE TSU! THE FLAMES ARE AT OUR HEELS! _**

**_Shizuo: GET THE FUCK BACK HERE AND FIX THIS! _**

**_-vending machine army on the attack- _**

**_REVIEW! _**


	68. Chapter 68

The hallway back the hospital room was long, hollow, unfeeling. Shizuo took one step after another as the doctors ushered him away from the dead Russian laying down on the floor. They picked her body up, calling the time of death. They continued to rush in, screaming for the damn informant to stay alive longer.

But that flat line tone continued.

It resounded in his head like the bass chord to the most macabre melody he had ever heard.

Left foot forward, and then the right.

He was lost in that tone that repeated onwards and onwards. It stretched out into the abyss of his mind and lodged itself within the deepest corner of his mind.

Izaya was dead.

Kasuka was at the door when he came into view of Tsuki's room. The young actor speaking to a doctor as he approached and frowned, "what's going on?" He couldn't tell if this was supposed to be an omen of worse things yet to come or if things were beginning to look up.

The doctor himself, turning a bit, smiled. "We're happy to report that Tsuki is looking much better than we expected him to be. I think it will be safe to send him home with you within the next couple of days."

"He can?" Shizuo looked at the man in surprise.

"According to your brother here, you have a live in doctor who can be checking up on Tsukishima, and our head of department was informed that all expenses were covered by a family friend."

"…so I can take Tsuki home?"

"Yes, little Tsuki can be taken home." The doctor beamed, "He's a fighter. I'm glad to see he's recovering so well."

Kasuka looked over at him before stepping in between and nodding. "Thank you for the news."

"…Sir, are you alright?" The doctor frowned.

"He's having a bit of a relieved breakdown," Kasuka replied quickly. "If you will just leave this to me…"

"Uh… yeah." The man smiled, "It must be quite a relief to hear that the person you were so worried about will make a full recovery. I'll leave you to go see him." He began to turn and walk away when he paused, "Um… I would tell that little boy with him though to behave. He's got kind of a biting phase going on. His mother should be getting after him about that."

Kasuka nodded, pulling Shizuo into the other room and leading him to a seat. Good thing too, Shizuo's knees buckled, his body falling into the seat with a loud thump. His face turned solemn as he sat there, slumped within that seat.

"Dad?"

"Shizu-chan!" Roppi pulled away from Tsuki and jumped into his lap, hugging him tight, "What happened? Did that doctor man catch you? He's a bad man. We should get rid of him."

"Roppi, please, not now." Shizuo set him on the ground and shut his eyes, overwhelmed by too much at once. Tsuki was dying, Izaya runs off, Izaya's dying, Izaya dies: he was so fucking sick of it all.

Well people should stay well and sick people should hurry up and get better.

He wasn't sure how long the brunet boy tugged on his pants, but he hissed as he felt the boy throw a punch to get his attention and had it hit his balls. Wincing terribly, Shizuo glared at him, "What the hell, Roppi?"

"Shizu-chan was ignoring me." He frowned, "You should not ignore me whe- Ah… Shizu-chan?" Roppi was surprised when he was pulled into the ex-bartender's arms. He felt tears against his face and looked up to see water falling from the man's eyes. One little hand reached up to touch it. "Shizu-chan should not cry. Shizu-chan isn't supposed to cry." Roppi smiled a bit, "Monsters don't cry."

"Roppi…" He clung to him and shook harder.

Kasuka moved towards the brunet and had to flinch back as Roppi tried to hit him, "Go away! I'm hugging Shizu-chan."

Shizu-chan Shizu-chan Shizu-chan.

He couldn't take care of Roppi. He couldn't look at Tsuki's eyes. The two reminded him so much of Izaya. Even now as Tsuki tried to sit up and come to him, and as Roppi clung to him, trying to get him to stop crying: He couldn't stop these tears falling.

How foolish you can be. How entirely out of your personal character you can be around some people. Izaya always brought out the worst in him. The informant would never listen, never obey, he did everything in his power to mess with him and get him upset…

And then at the end of the day, they fucked like animals.

And they fucked in the hospital…

And they fucked in other countries…

"Shizuo," Kasuka carefully pulled Roppi away, ignoring the boy's kicking and screaming and set him with Tsuki, letting him reattach to that blond before he stood before Shizuo and looked down at him. "Shizuo… I think you should go home."

"I can't…" He shook his head. There was too much happening for him to just up and leave.

Kasuka wasn't listening though, instead talking to his coworker. The woman nodded, "Just take him home, Kasuka. Make sweet tender love all night-" Her mouth was covered before she could say anything more and Kasuka gave her a warning look before pulling on Shizuo's arm.

"Tsuki and Roppi will be fine with me, Shizuo. Go home and rest."

Shizuo opened his mouth to argue but quickly shut it again, standing up even as his mind told him not to. He wandered through the doorway and headed for the exit, listening to Kasuka coax Roppi back to Tsuki's side.

~.~

_**A/N: **_

_**Ayazi (friend): WHY YOU NO REVIVE IZAYA YET?**_

_**PI: Because I am a mean person.**_

_**Ayazi: -pouts- Revive him in the next chapter? **_

_**PI: …I promise nothing. –hit with trashcan-**_


	69. Chapter 69

[Moments Earlier]

The pair was not ignored as they walked into the building. Who could ignore such a type of presence. The cane, the red hair, the scarred face, the scowl graced face, the smile that held nothing but sadistic pleasure underneath. It was like the grim reaper had stepped into the hospital. There was a shiver that went through the surrounding people, watching the two yakuza walk through the hospital.

They didn't seem to be lost either.

The raven-haired man didn't pause as he climbed the stairs, their steps quick, making it to the third floor. His gaze went to his red headed friend before the man pointed.

From there, they were split up.

"Excuse me!" The red headed man walked up, limping more now with his cane. "Laddie! Help an old man, you idiot!"

The doctor looked over and frowned, "…sir? How did you get up here?"

"How did I- Did I just really have to walk down three flights of stairs just to find a damn doctor in a hospital? I pressed the call button and no one answered! My leg hurts and I'm hungry! What are you doing? Trying to kill a man?" His eyes widened, "YOU ARE!"

"Sir!" The doctor froze, floor six? The mental ward?

"CONSPIRACY! CONSPIRACY!" The man began to undress, whacking the nurses trying to stop him, "THEY WANT TO KILL US ALL! THEY WANT US ALL TO DIE!"

"SIR! SIR! YOU HAVE TO CALM DOWN! WE'LL GET YOU FOOD! JUST CALM DOWN!"

"THEY SAID THEY WOULD MAKE THE VOICES STOP MOMMY BUT THEY DIDN'T!"

The raven-haired man didn't even pause to watch his associate, merely slipping into the room of the informant's. He moved directly to the IV that was pumping blood through his veins. Injecting the needle in his pocket's fluid into the injection tubing, he tried to keep his pace brisk.

Senses heightened, the sounds of Akayabashi's screaming kept his time. Shiki looked down at the informant and shook his head; He had left the boy to attempt to be a father for too long. There was no family life for someone in their field of work.

At least not a successful one.

The screaming stopped. Shiki flicked the needle back into the scrubs he was wearing. He whirled around, slipping through the doorway with a silent click before he was wandering down the hall to collect his 'insane patient.' He looked over as a figure began to walk passed him.

Idea sparked into his mind.

He turned into another room and filched the keys from a sleeping resident, opening the medicine cart and injecting the barely stable woman sleeping in bed. Sometimes improvisation was a requirement in these situations.

The woman was awake within a minute, fighting her bonds as her mind was bombarded by hallucinations and body with adrenaline. He tossed the empty needles in a receptacle nearby and woke the resident, "Are you mad! The patient has awakened and has lost her mind! CATCH HER!"

Panic broke out as Shiki watched the man cry out for the doctor and nurses' assistance in stopping the bleeding Russian trying to get out. Shiki moved methodically through the group, glaring at them and shouting orders before he grabbed Akabayashi and heading for the stairs. The red head laughed as they moved down the stairs and stopped in a janitorial closet, changing quickly from a spare bag there.

"It's done?"

Shiki looked over at him.

"Just asking, I didn't expect Heiwajima to show up or that blubbering Russian to be lollygagging through the hallway. We could have just set her off from the start."

"That would have ruined the element. We needed a small distraction until Heiwajima was there. He recognized me, at least a little."

"You're giving him too much credit. He probably thought you were a high school teacher of his or patched him up after a fight with Orihara."

"Perhaps, but this will keep his mind occupied while we leave. No need for him to be able to place me."

Akabayashi laughed again before they were in the lobby, out the door, into the car waiting in the parking structure. "All because you want your informant back."

"I have no need for a family man in my area of work. We decided on a child heir a long time ago."

"See, this is why you choose a kid that's already born," the red head declared. "No parent problems, no need to have these outings or cause enough strife to make the child join the yakuza, just good old-"

"Fucking their mother?" Shiki's glare shot to the man and Akabayashi shrugged.

"What can I say? She fucked with the best of them."

"And you wonder why the child does not listen." Shiki shook his head, "I have no need for an heir any longer."

"Hmm? No?" The other looked at him in shock, "you don't want a perfect blend of Heiwajima's strength and Orihara's mind?"

Shiki shook his head, "You will see soon enough. I have two who will suffice in a manner that is less family oriented."

"I have the feeling I should be concerned."

"Technology changes, so do people. What I found out from Kishitani has sparked my interest from the boys."

"So what was this…?"

"This was clean up." Shiki replied easily. "I don't leave open ends. Do I, Tsugaru?"

A small voice from next to the driver answered him, sending a shiver down Akabayashi's back. "No, sir."

"…Hei-Heiwajima-san?"

~.~

_**A/N: Did anyone see that coming? I want to know. Anyone?**_

_**Shizuo: Izaya… was killed by Shiki… I was set up to kill Vorona…**_

**_PI: ah, dear reviewers, I do love the reviews. I love how one or two people are so happy Izaya was killed and everyone else is like "WE LOVE HIM ANYWAY! DON'T KILL HIM!"_**

**Anyway! NEWS! HERE! RIGHT NOW! READ BELOW!**

**I see that I can get covers for this. I may use one of the fanart pics just because that would be awesome, but if someone is interested in making a cover for this monster of a fic, I might sob. -sobs- -has been told to find a cover for this fic- **


	70. Chapter 70

Life.

The greatest thing ever presented to the world. Just as the petals to the most beautiful rose open for the sun, just as the moon ascents into the daylight, disturbing the light to bring about darkness into the land; that was precisely how Izaya awakened in the small metal contraption. His eyes flew open as air was once again starting to flood through his veins out of nowhere. His mind began to whir with activity. His arms and legs twitched as blood began to flow. Adrenaline racing through his veins as his gaze swept over the room. It was quiet in this space, the door, the only means of escape from this small box and metal slab he was laying on, was open, filling the area with small but bright light to disrupt the darkness.

A pair of bright, wide eyes stared at him, the man crossing himself and murmuring. The man was dressed in a lab coat, astonished, horrified, everything running across his face fascinated the informant. How kind of reaction was that? He was privileged enough to see the informant awaken and that was how he responded? Slowly, cracked lips parted, throat scratched as Izaya took in a deep, long breath of air. He moved his arms with purpose, reaching up and pushing on the outside of the prison like space he was in. The slab he was on, which turned out to be a metal table, moved out, coming all the way out before Izaya was pushing himself into a sitting position. He looked about the room a moment before he found his voice. "A morgue?" He shrugged nonchalantly, "Eh, I've awakened in worse places."

"Wha… but you…"

"I'm sure you've seen zombie movies, my good man. Just make something up. Sprinkle some ashes on the table like a good man and call me dead." And with that, Izaya was on his way towards the door, limping and swaying, clutching at where his bullet wound had been. His body throbbed, ached, it was exhausted to the point of no return, but he pushed forth.

He went out a back door, pulling a woman nearby smoking behind a dumpster, lips sealing with hers; hands grabbing at her clothes, soft murmurs of her guilt being purred into her ear as he went. His mind flooded through the information on her faster than he had ever been able to focus before. He was rushing through it all too soon, laughing as she climaxed in his arms from nothing more than the thrill of someone knowing her dirty laundry and fondling her. Such guilty, naïve creatures humans were.

But he was a god, he was above them all.

With all this knowledge in his mind, all this power in the palm of his hand; he was the mighty phoenix, born from the ashes of his former self.

He was Atlas, free from the burden of holding the world upon his shoulders.

He! He was Loki, free from his prison to wreck his mischievous ways upon the entirety of humanity.

He slipped into the dress clothes and lab coat the woman had been wearing, adjusting the shirt as his smile only grew more. He watched the sun begin to rise over the skycrapers, reflecting off the windows. The specks of gold and orange, pink and navy filling the sky. The moon went into hiding now, the time of which humanity was without its god was over. The dark times had come and gone, now there was just him, Izaya Orihara, the overall keeper of the humans. He would do as he pleased. He would sit upon his throne and watch them all from his place. He would not allow anyone to doubt his place.

He had nothing to hold him back. His mind was still running on business. Shiki would be expecting him soon. Namie would be walking into the latest office in Shibuya. And Shizuo…

Images flickered into his head as he began to walk. A child. Two children.

And Shizuo smiled.

Aggressive faced Shizuo.

Upset Shizuo.

When wasn't the man upset though? He was more likely to be upset than happy.

Tsukishima and Hachimenroppi.

The names flew into his head and suddenly he was pausing at a street corner, looking back at the hospital he was walking away from, his mind flooding with memories. His children.

Shizuo's children.

He had abused his right as a parent. He had tried for whatever reason to be so human. To be something everyone know he was not. He was a god, not a parent. Zeus's father ate him, only to be slain. Tyrr raised a wild beast only to have his hand forever bitten off by the very thing he had come to love.

Love, family…

Were these not but things for humanity?

His kind were not meant to have children.

He was meant to remain forever twenty one, forever watching humanity grow, make mistakes, evolve…

He was not a parent. Somewhere in those red eyes of Tsuki's, somewhere deep in the warm embrace of Shizuo, he had lost that fact. He had allowed himself to dream so deeply that he had become lost within it. Lost in the world where his dreams and his subconscious fantasies could be real, could be true. He had lost his mind, and now…

Now he had it back.

Not even looking at the mop of blond hair exiting the hospital, smile growing on his face; Izaya shut the book on his past. He turned away from what he had been doing for so long and he left it all behind.

Izaya Orihara was not a parent.

Izaya Orihara was a god…

And that was all he would ever be.

~.~

"You are behind on your studies," the voice rang out quietly through the building as Shiki led the group in, pausing just inside the room as Akabayashi faltered. His eyes bulged out as though he was about to have one serious heart attack from shock.

Nevermind that the man had been ogling Shiki's companion as they had exited the vehicle and ascended the steps, Nevermind the fact that he could not help but be a little surprised by the boy's quietness, his scary likeness to the fortissimo of Ikebukuro; his gaze went to glue itself on the speaker. The speaking figure stepped down from the upper landing, hand gliding down the railing as a scowl set itself into place, "how inappropriate, don't you think? It is rude to stare in such a manner and I command you to stop at once."

"Hello Hibiya." The blond figure beside Shiki, one of whom Akabayashi had been formerly distracted by, spoke up. His hand slipped out of Shiki's as he quickly moved forward, blue haori trailing out behind him as he moved. "I apologize, Shiki-san had things to which I was required to attend to."

"Pathetic," Hibiya eyed them all before turning, heading back up the stairs. "Tsugaru-san, it will not be my fault when you are unable to survive as an adult because you were behind on your studies for so long."

"There's a mini Shizuo and Izaya in your home, Shiki."

Shiki stepped forward, ushering the duo to his arms. "When Izaya is back to normal, and Shizuo and the two children under his care are taken care of, far away from Tokyo, these two will appear. They have a private tutor being paid to teach them basic studies and they have been overseeing the latest part of my work. I have no need for a child raised in being part of a family when I have these two. They require none of that attention or devotion. They are-"

"Inhuman," the red head interrupted, "You can't create beings and expect them to be machines. There's their own personalities, their own thinking, basic human instincts-"

Shiki's face made the man pause, the raven haired yakuza going quiet a moment before speaking, "are you saying a person is made by their nature and not their nurturing? I thought we agreed it was to how a person is raised that defines their work in life."

"…Of course…"

"Then you see no-"

"Why didn't we just let Shizuo have Izaya? Why is there the need for all this?"

"We don't question Shiki." The boy, Hibiya replied coolly, stepping down to stand before Shiki. His eyes glinting in malice, "How dare you stand there and question him. Those curs are running amok through this town and interfering with businesses. How is Shiki supposed to have a clear picture of what is happening if his go to informant is busy doing such vulgar things with that beast!"

"That beast happens to look like your friend there," Akabayashi argued.

"Silence! Tsugaru is nothing more than a tool to which I will use to do what I have to, correct peasant?" The boy looked over at Tsugaru and Tsugaru nodded grimly. "And there you have it. Come Shiki, I have need of you to remind your curs sitting upstairs that I am a prince and have no need for their derogatory words. I will kill them if you do not."

Shiki followed the boy upstairs, leaving Tsugaru standing upon the main foyer floor.

"It must be hard, knowing you were created only to be a tool for someone else."

The boy's blue gaze drifted up to the red haired man.

"How old are you?"

"Ten."

Akabayashi moved closer, wrapping his arms around the boy and pulling him up into his arms, "how old are you really?"

"…" Tsugaru looked up at him before speaking in a quiet, shaking voice, "a couple days maybe… I don't know… "

"Do you like ice cream, Tsugaru?"

"Ice cream?"

"We're going to get ice cream. It is decided." Akabayashi carried him towards the kitchen, ruffling his hair a bit, "Shall we screw up Shiki and your little friend's plans?"

"We can't. That would be bad." The boy failed. "He would be mad."

"Ah, you don't know me quite well yet," Akabayashi grinned, "I mess up all my associate's plans. For the best, Shiki tends to think with his ass more than his head."

The boy clung to him tightly in response.

~.~

_**A/N: **_

_**They say that those hit in the head hard enough forget things. Those who awaken from a deep sleep slowly regain the memories that had been in their head. With Izaya's revival, his memories are passed through his old behavior. His mind revolves through those guard towers and barricades that had kept everyone away. **_

_** Shizuo is in such pain, thinking that Izaya is gone and will never come back. He has two children, unknowing of the full circumstances. How does a father tell his sons that their mother has passed away? How do you comfort and be that other parent? Is it possible? Even an eccentric, terrible father like Izaya is impossible to replace. **_

_** Shiki has two children now to continue his yakuza, unsatisfied with the idea of raising children. He has acquired tudors for his children/heirs: Hibiya: a spoiled child that looks like Izaya, and Tsugaru: a child apparently to be "used as a weapon" by Hibiya.**_

_** Are you prepared dear reader, can you handle these facts being thrown up here below and continue to read on, knowing full well that somehow, someway, there will be more pain and agony happening here? **_

_** I look forward to our next update, to be posted quickly here.**_

_** Until then, gute nacht/tag.**_


	71. Chapter 71

Akabayashi stood in the kitchen now, feeding the child sitting on the counter. His cane rested in the hands of the blond boy.

"Do you like ice cream?"

"It's cold."

"I'll make us some tea after we finish eating it."

The blond looked at him strangely, his eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"If you're cold, you have something to warm you up," the yakuza said simply. He smiled only to see the blond shake his head.

"No. When you are cold, you find ways to warm yourself and make sure what made you cold will not make you cold again."

"Smartass," Akabayashi rolled his eyes, "did Shiki tell you that?"

"Shiki-sama."

"Did Shi-chan tell you that?"

Tsugaru shook his head, bemused. "You should not insult him. He made us all. He-"

Akabayashi covered the boy's mouth and shook his head again. "Listen to me and listen very well. There is no one who made you, you were born. You were put on this Earth to help others."

"But Hibi-"

"No," the red demon shook his head. "When you get up, it is not Shiki's thoughts running through your head. It is not prince boy's thoughts either. You have your own thoughts and ideas. You are your own person, Tsugaru. You have a brilliant mind if you would just let yourself use it."

"No…" Tsugaru shook his head, "No, then they will lock me away with Delic-san."

"Delic?"

"He was the attempt to have a more modern me." Tsugaru's grip tightened on the cane. "He and Psyche…"

"How many kids do we have running around this place?!"

"There are four, but Psyche and Delic are going to die."

Akabayashi sighed, "Would you tell me where they are?"

"In the basement."

"Ah, see! You're already thinking for yourself! Good kid. Now then, shall we go downstairs and pick them up while Hibi keeps your so called god busy."

"Shiki is not god, he is master."

The red-haired man stared at the boy, waiting for him to recant that statement. His eyes looking over the serious expression gracing the boy's features.

"…You actually think that?"

Tsugaru nodded, "he is. He can make bad people die."

Akabayashi had heard enough, pulling the cane from the child and pulling him along towards the staircase, around to the basement door. One step after another, down the stairs, flicking light into the rooms as they went; he tugged Tsugaru along. The boy flailed in his grip. His eyes growing with each room they passed.

"I thought you were supposed to have Shizuo's strength?"

"I… I don't want to hurt you." He stated panicked.

Akabayashi grinned, "you aren't an exact clone, are you?"

Tsugaru stared at him in horror. "Don't tell Shiki-sama!"

"Shhh, kid. I'm not telling. Let's get your little friends out of the basement."

"TSU! TSU NO! GET BACK UPSTAIRS!" A voice yelled from the darkness ahead.

"I can't! He's holding my arm!"

The red head flicked the last light up and stared at the two kids laying quietly in the room. The one laying in the blond boy's arms bleeding, quietly asleep. The blond looking at them through black eyes, face smeared in filth and blood.

The adult whistled. "There is a lot I missed while sorting things out in the north."

The blue clad boy moved forward a step, eyes glued to what seemed to be his twin. "I couldn't lie to him. He is with Shiki-sama."

"Don't call that bastard sama. He does not deserve the title, Tsu. Look what he's done."

"You both went against him."

"We were just playing a game instead of paying attention to studies! We only did it for a moment. We were listening."

"I think I'm in charge here, lads." Akabayashi stated easily. "Now then," he continued, having both children's attention, "I think we are going to do things this way. Since you don't seem to be shackled or anything, you are going to pick up your little friend there and we are going to go out to do something."

Tsugaru frowned, "What would you have us do?"

"I don't do anything for a friend of Shiki's," the blond on the ground replied.

"What's your name kid?" Akabayashi asked the boy.

"He's Delic and the other is Psyche," Tsugaru reminded him.

"Right, Deli-boy. I like your spunk. I don't have shit planned with Shiki. He's a business associate. We work from time to time with one another."

"He said he likes to mess with Shiki," Tsugaru interrupted, looking at Delic.

"Yeah, a lot of people like to mess with Shiki. Don't mean they live."

"And why are you all here? What purpose were you all made?"

Tsugaru looked down, "We are here for Shiki to use and kill when he pleases."

Delic growled at his duplicate. "I was made for no one! I am above his rules!"

The adult sighed, moving forward and hitting the boy gently with his cane. "Come on. I don't have time for this bickering. I'm going to get you lot out of town for a bit. Your princely friend will join you in a bit. I'm need to teach Shiki a point."

Both blonds frowned. "A point?"

"You cannot kill Tsu." Delic growled.

"No one is killing anyone except you boys killing my time. Now get up."

"I trust him Delic," Tsugaru replied softly.

"Well that makes just all the difference, now doesn't it?" Delic growled. He remained in his place for a moment longer before sighing. "Fine. Just don't get us killed Tsu."

"It's still Tsugaru, Delic-san."

"I like my name for you better," the blond boy said with a grin, hoisting the brunet up onto his back. "So what's red man's name?"

"You can just call me the red demon if you want," Akabayashi replied, turning.

"Good," Delic mumbled. "I don't believe in the good guys anymore."

"Mmhmmmpphhh," the brunet on Delic's back shifted, making both blonds stop. Tsugaru hurried over and pat him gently.

"Sleep, Psyche-san. Everything will be okay."

"Tsu?" The boy looked over, his eyes the same color as Delic's. "You still smell nice."

"I know, Psyche. Go back to sleep."

"…okay." He leaned against Delic and they moved towards the stairs. Tsugaru's worried expression flickering between the party and the upstairs area.

"They will never let us leave."

"They have no control over my actions," Akabayashi said confidently.

"We are not to leave the building."

"I have never liked rules," Akabayashi retorted.

Delic laughed, "I like you more and more demon-sama. Let me to hell. This heaven is nothing but pain."

~.~

Tsukishima was released on a drizzly afternoon. The wheelchair he was in pulled along by Roppi, of whom was insistent that he be the one to push the device and bit and fought for that right. The doctor stood with Shizuo and a disturbed Shinra. The doctor's eyes were rimmed in deep color, his glasses not helping him any. He was at least listening though, nodding with what the licensed doctor was saying.

Kasuka was kneeling in front of the two kids, listening to them babble on about what was going on. Roppi was talking animatedly, eyes flashing as he stared back at the hospital. His body tense when he looked, only to soften as he looked at Tsuki.

"Shizuo?"

Shizuo watched the boys and Kasuka numbly, his gaze dull and clouded over.

"Shizuo!"

His body jolted a bit as reality seemed to flash back into fruition.

Shinra shook his head, "You will have to bring Tsukishima back in a couple weeks for another exam and in about a month his cast, which should be harder for him to take off, should be removed. Are you sure that you and Kasuka will be okay?"

"Yeah, we have this handled."

Shinra beamed to the doctor going on again and talking as Shizuo headed down to see the others. His arms wrapped around Roppi silently, picking up the squabbling child and wrapping a hand around Tsuki's chair. It didn't seem he would be allowed to push the chair, the actor covering his hand a moment before pulling it off as though he were just weak, taking the pushing of the chair into his own hands.

"To home," Roppi commanded, wrapping his arms around Shizuo's torso. "Tsuki is going to draw me a picture."

The entire city was cold. The gleaming, gray buildings shone in the light rain coming down; casting a clouded view of the area. Dark figures seemed to pass them as they headed away. Browns, blacks, grays, hats, mittens, and scarves. The fountains overflowed into pools of water, the water reflecting the darkened skies.

What was there to do?

His body was cold; his emotions feeling this neutral scenery's colors. His anger flickered out like a blown out candle. The smoke from that anger, that remorse, those pangs of guilt billowed out of him. The feelings drifted and cascaded over the surroundings. It was lonely in this new world. There was a silence, a nothingness to everything.

Roppi moved in his arms, the red trim of his coat brushing against his arms as the boy spoke without pause. The blond below agreed with every word without hesitation. Tsuki's words and ideas the exact opposite of Roppi's only for him to once more agree with Roppi when Roppi spoke.

The raven-haired boy waved his arms, insulting the doctors from the hospital and spitting hatred for Shinra's appearance. Tsuki's shy words of how they had helped to relieve pain diminished as he went with Roppi's words.

"I hate humans," Roppi stated as he finished his tirade.

"I still love Roppi," Tsuki replied easily.

The brunet paused a moment before pulling at Shizuo's shirt. "I want Tsuki to hold me. I want to ride with Tsuki."

"Tsuki is injured."

"You're injured."

Shizuo looked down at the boy and Roppi flinched, pointing to Kasuka. "He told me tha- That evil man is following us."

"SHIZUO!" Panting hard, hand waving irratically, Shinra hurried after them. "Thank goodness I caught up. Geez, you all walk away fast." The man held onto his knees, trying to catch his breath before looking at Shizuo. "They were asking what you wanted to do with Izaya's bo- "

"OUCH! Shizu-dummy! You are holding me too tight!" Roppi slapped him, earning his freedom and leaping onto the wheelchair only to latch onto Tsuki. "Stupid Shizu-chan is stupid. It's a good thing I don't mind him."

"I can handle this, Shizuo." Kasuka stepped forward quietly and pulled Shinra away.

"Fine," he grabbed the wheelchair and began to move towards home.

"But SHI-" Shinra was stopped by Kasuka, the actor pulling him aside.

"Don't Shinra-san."

~.~

**_A/N: I am sorry for my long hiatus. I was busy working on college crap and then health crap and then life crap. It seems like life likes to drag me away to places unknown. I'm going to try to type up all of these updates a bit quicker. I don't even know if anyone cares at this point. u-u My apologies. We will be moving this forward to an end. We will see this through. And oh hey, the boys are all in this. No more children though, I just planned on the six alternates already mentioned. Sorry all Sakuraya fans and whatnot. My thoughts and storyline are strict. _**

**_Leave a review if you wish. It would be nice to know my readers have no all gone on hiatus like their author-san.  
><em>**


	72. Chapter 72

Shizuo looked at his brother speaking to Shinra for a moment before he turned his attention to the boys nearby. He gave a heavy sigh as Roppi held onto Tsuki tighter, his red eyes burning, daring the blond to move forward and just try to pull them apart. It was like a weight placed upon his chest, burdening him further in his misery. He wiped his face, mocha eyes averted from the pristine scene of admiration and affection.

"Come on, boys. Let's head home." He began to push the wheelchair along the road, not in any mood for anything. The overall numb feeling overtaking him. It didn't matter anymore. There wasn't anything he could do at this point. Izaya was…

He would just have to focus in on these two and make them a priority. Iz- If others could do it when they were seemingly complete scumbags with no sort of life whatsoever except to interfere with the lives of others, then there wasn't any reason he couldn't do the same and take care of these two.

Roppi looked up at him, watching the weary look on the other's features, looking at Tsuki's quiet and somber face before he cleared his throat, smacking the ex-bartender's hand. "Stop it! You're making Tsuki sad!"

Shizuo cleared his throat and smiled at them, forcing himself to be happy for them both. "You're right. We should be celebrating Tsuki being out of the hospital. Should we go get ice cream or maybe some sushi?"

The duo in the wheelchair stared at him before Roppi sat back down quietly. "I liked him better sad."

"Dad's face was scary just now."

He sighed, this was going to be a pain in the ass.

"Hey there," Delic leaned back in the booth and flashed a bright smile at the women in the next booth. "I've got some time and you've clearly got room for one more. Let's have some fun." The women laughed, pinching his cheeks and gossiping loudly.

"He's such a cutie," one cooed.

"If you were ten years older, little man, I would be all over that offer."

Delic was no less deterred, but Tsugaru pulled him back into his proper position, to a grinning Akabayashi. "Deli-san, please pay attention."

"I was," Delic argued, pulling Psyche back into his arms, the boy cuddling him close, eyeing the surroundings carefully. "I was merely entertaining everyone since apparently the workers here are incapable of doing their jobs."

"Oh yeah, and what would you do different?" The red headed adult rested his chin on his hand and eyed the boy. Said child looking like someone had just beaten someone in front of him that he was particularly fond of. The blond glared at him a moment before answering.

"First off, this music is terrible. You can't dance to this nonsense. This is typical crap to the highest degree. Second, the dancefloor is empty because the hosts are doing a waiter's job. The waiters are bartending and there's really no point in the supervising people there. What are they going to do, drink? They'll get drunk then and then fired. Everyone is bored."

"That's all nice, but what would _you_ do about it."

Delic smiled, "I would dress up nice and kick those waiters back to their jobs, and haul those hosts to the back and kick them out since they can't do their jobs… or keep them as waiters. I would get myself right to the customer and say "Hello, I'm Delic, you can call me your psychedelic dream. Ask and I'll give." His smile even seemed real as he said that last part, making Akabayashi wish he was in fact ten years older looking. He nodded looking around again.

"We've had some monetary problems, but nothing our other investments can't take care of. I will be sure to take your opinions into account." He would be working on that as soon as he decided what he wanted to do with the kids. Kids, he wanted to laugh at the thought. What on earth was he going to do with a bunch of brats that looked like the monster and informant of Tokyo running around his place?

"Sir, we should return to where we were before," Tsugaru told him in a worried voice. "Shiki will be quite cross when he finds that we have all-OW! Delic! That hurt." The boy rubbed his head as Delic snarled at him.

"Don't you dare talk about us going back to that dirthole. Especially in front of Psyche. We're free of them now and I'm sure as hell not going back. I could persuade any person here to take me with them and home. I don't need to be in this hell hole with the lot of Shiki and his stupid rules and ideas. I'm not planning on knocking down doors and striking fear into anyone. I'm going to make music and Psyche is going to do it with me. We decided that while we were groveling in the filth of that basement."

"Mhmm," Psyche said from the blond's arms, hugging Delic closer.

"You see, that's where we are in complete agreement." Akabayashi smiled and leaned back a bit. "I own this establishment and I'm sure the manager wouldn't mind me having you two working here, of course you'll both be stuck in the dj booth in the back. You won't be able to show your faces off."

Psyche spoke up before Delic could growl something else, "We would love to, but you have to feed us and give us a good room."

"Of course," the red head replied, reaching out and patting the other's head a bit. "I'll make sure you two are properly taken care of."

Tsugaru shook his head, "Shik-"

"Tsu, you say that name one more time and I'm going to be doing a whole lot more than beating you upside the head." Delic growled before grinning to Psyche. "See, I told ya I'd get us to a better, more deserving place."

"Can we still go to Paris?"

"Of course, we'll send back pictures of castles and piss off Hibiya."

Psyche smiled and leaned against Delic, sticking his tongue out at Tsugaru, "Shiki can go be mean to someone else. Deli and I are going to make music."

The blue clad blond flailed a bit, "Psy, don't do that, I led Aka down to you two. I was really worried-"

"So worried you could hardly sleep on your plush bed and do whatever you had to in order to stay with Shiki. I bet you were worried." Delic rolled his eyes a moment before he smiled at the waitress that came to take their order. His demeanor changed immediately, trying to impress her with compliments and turning her into a blushing, giggling mess. She kissed his cheek after taking his order, cooing to Psyche who smiled and said what he wanted in a rushed and soon enough excited manner.

Akabayashi could only watch the trio order before he merely said for his usual and stared at them all again. "So Shiki needed you three to be taught and raised to take over after him?"

Tsugaru nodded, "He made sure to have all of us made so that we had to compete with each other in order to survive and be his heirs. There could only be two."

I see." He shook his head, knowing it was probably nonsense. Shiki wouldn't have had such goals with these kids. There was no doubt something else at play here. "Where were you all made?"

"Shinra's." The name came from all of them in unison.

Shinra leaned back, sneezing as he looked out at the city. "I'm going to be killed," he muttered.

"I would say that was already in the cards," a shadow behind him replied smoothly, black fur trim becoming visible from the shadows. "You've been up to your experimenting with your father."

The doctor spun around, eyes widening behind his glasses, pen falling to the floor. "Izaya?!"

"The one and only."

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><p>AN:

;w; I'm so terrible at updating in a timely manner. I'm sorry. Thank you for your continued love and support. 3


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